EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – The City of East St. Louis, along with the National Pan-Hellenic Council, made sure to give children and the community a fun place to trick-or-treat and enjoy Halloween.
Ghostface, a T-Rex, and SpongeBob were among the many costumes that took over East St. Louis City Hall.
The Trunk or Treat event provided a safe, one-stop shop for kids to show off their costumes and get all the candy they can. It was free for everyone who lives in the city.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a coalition of the nine largest historically African American Greek fraternities and sororities. They said their mission is to give back to the community.
“We all love community service. That is truly our bread and butter of our organization,” said Maurche Belk, vice president of the Delta Delta Omega chapter. “This is just another example, another reason to get out here and just make the kids smile.”
“We serve. Our job is to provide service to our communities, and East St. Louis is one of them,” said Robin Carey-Boyd, president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.
This community has been through a lot over the past few months after historic floods devastated the area.
“We’re a very resilient city. I always say we’re the city of champions, and champions always find a way to get it done,” said East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III. “We have our challenges ahead of us, but it always feels good when we could come together.”
Other communities in Illinois also celebrated Halloween, Edwardsville held its annual Halloween Parade in the downtown area.
They celebrated with music, a marching band, and several floats were part of the parade. The parade started at the Lincoln Middle School parking lot, then traveled east on St. Louis Street to Vandalia Street, then north on North Main Street.