I hope that many of you noticed groups of youngsters doing volunteer projects in Peabody on Oct. 16. Those were Peabody-Burns Middle School students who had the morning off because of testing for students in the freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. The kids picked up trash on Peabody St. from Ninth St. to 60th Rd., picked up trash and debris from the Peabody Township Library lawn, City Park, and Santa Fe Park, washed the windows on the downtown buildings, and cleaned the gutters on Walnut St. from Ninth St. to the railroad tracks.

I went out and took pictures of several groups. If you know any middle school students or their parents, I think it would be great if you would express your appreciation. You might mention the same thing to any school administrators or board members you encounter.

Thank you, Peabody-Burns Middle School students! You did a great job with a great attitude and we are proud of you.

*****

Peabody Main Street plans once again to sponsor a Halloween “Trunk or Treat” downtown in the early evening on Oct. 31. Families, clubs, businesses, and individuals are invited to decorate the trunks of their cars, the beds of their pickups, or their golf carts or other means of conveyance and pass out trick or treat goodies to youngsters.

Participants can go for spooky, goofy, gorgeous, fairy tale, traditional, or any other Halloween theme one can imagine. The idea is for our local youngsters to have fun in a safe and protected one block area and enjoy the holiday with their parents, siblings, and community friends.

“Trunk or Treat” will begin at 5 p.m. and last until 7 p.m. You can read all about it elsewhere in this issue of the Peabody Gazette-Bulletin. But the part you won’t know is how much fun everyone had last year.

One of the most popular treat vehicles in 2012 was a small pickup with the bed filled with books, sponsored by the Peabody Township Library board. They gave away dozens of books from the library shelves — real books, hardback, in good condition, just a little old and grey around the edges. Local children left the library “Trunk or Treat” vehicle with eyes sparkling, hardly able to grasp the idea that they were the proud new owners of real hardback books. How exciting! And the library group will be back again this year with more books for your youngsters. What could be better than that?

Other parking spaces were occupied by candy-peddling 1920 flappers, zombie figures, Dorothy and Toto, a gaggle of witches, a gypsy fortuneteller, a spiderweb-wrapped mini-van interior, and a terrific spook-hunting pickup bed filled with camo, hay bales, deer antlers, and pumpkins.

And everyone had candy!

PMSA will again offer a $100 prize for the best dressed Halloween vehicle and provide a great venue for a safe, family oriented Halloween evening. I have it marked on my calendar and I hope to see you there.

— SUSAN MARSHALL