Nov. 1—CRESSONA — The tail lights on Joe Bassininsky's 1961 Plymouth Savoy pierced Monday evening's darkness, glowing like the red eyes of a monster.

"It's old and it's creepy looking," said Bassininsky, owner of Bazz's Garage in Cressona. "Every little kid that came by loved the car."

Looking like something George Jetson might have driven, the old Plymouth's space-age design fit right into Cressona's first Trunk-Or-Treat Night.

Mayor Sandra Renninger came up with the idea for a trunk-or-treat event as a way of revitalizing interest in Halloween in the borough.

Kelly McAndrew brought her three sons — Eli, 2; Matthew 6; and Bentley 10 — to the event.

"It's wonderful — the kids are having a lot of fun," she said. "It's a lot safer than doing Halloween on the street."

Renninger said the response was great.

About 25 vehicles turned out for the two-hour event, displaying Halloween scenes in their trunks on the parking lot at Good Will Fire Company.

A pair from Cressona, Ang and Fred Brish, turned the back of their Jeep SUV into a version of the Hungry Hungry Hippos board game.

Dressed as hippos, the Brishes got high-fives from kids in costume. They conceded they were having as much fun as the kids.

"Halloween is my favorite holiday," Ang Brish said.

Cressona Borough Council President Linda Walinsky, who dressed as a clown, created a beanbag toss game in the back of her SUV.

Four-year-old Rebecca Koch, dressed as a witch, conjured up some magic that guided her beanbag to the center hole on the game board. She walked off with a bag of pretzels and some candy.

"This is a good thing for the borough," Walinsky said.

Michelle Blankenhorn repurposed vintage dolls from the 1930s as residents of a scary pumpkin patch in the back of her Toyota RAV4.

And Girl Scout Troop 31088, of Cressona, converted the back of a Chevy Suburban into a pirate ship, complete with a skull-and-crossbones flag.

Kids in costume picked treats from a treasure chest overseen by Girl Scouts in pirate outfits.

The rear of Jim and Tedda Eifer's SUV, lit in soft green tones, took on the feel of an enchanted forest.

Cuddled in Jim's arms was the most enchanting creature in the forest — his 3-month-old granddaughter Hadlee Eifer, daughter of Conner and Autumn Eifer.

In a black baby skunk outfit, the little stinker slept through her first Halloween.

Contact the writer: rdevlin@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6007