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The first-grade students from Athol Community Elementary School took home the Greatest of all Trunks award at the Community Night Out event on Thursday. -
Cafeteria workers prepare the 1,200 hot dogs served at Thursday’s Community Night Out. -
The volleyball setup was a popular one at the annual Community Night Out.
ATHOL – Thursday’s Community Night Out at Athol High School saw costumes, music and much more at an annual event that is proving very popular.
ARRSD Family & Community Center Director Shirley Mitchell estimated that nearly 1,500 people showed up to listen to music, share a hot dog or two, bask in the glow of a large bonfire, dance, play games, roast marshmallows, and socialize with friends, classmates and teachers. Music was provided by DJ PR, who also entertained at the August event which marked the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Mitchell thanked everyone who showed up for the event, which has grown bigger each year.
“Our community knows how to show up, have fun and make memories,” Mitchell declared.
The AHS track surrounding O’Neil Field was lined with 32 vehicles waiting to get their trunks, beds or hatches filled with goodies for the Halloween season for the trunk or treat portion of the event.
“We saw costumes of all types,” Mitchell said. “We had animals, science experiments, characters from Harry Potter, dinosaurs, pop singers – such as Taylor Swift – famous witches, and more. There were just so many creative trunks and costumes.”
In the end, the judges chose Athol Community Elementary School’s first grade as the Greatest of All Trunks for 2024.
The remaining 31 trunks were sponsored by ACES Kindergarten Team; ACES Paraprofessionals and friends; ACES PTO; Athol Fire Department; Athol Police Department; Athol High School – Front Office; Athol High School Kindness Team; Athol High School Science Department/Science Fair & Academic Decathlon; AR SEPAC; Athol Royalston Middle School – Assistant Principal Kristen Capezio; ARMS PTO; Athol Lion’s Club; Athol Congregational Church; Best Buddies; Clinical & Support Options, Athol Clinic; Girls Scouts; Heywood School – Based Services; LaunchSpace; MassHire Franklin Hampshire Workforce Board; New England Learning Center for Women in Transition; North Quabbin Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau; North Quabbin Community Coalition; North Quabbin Recovery Center; Royalston Community School Teaching Staff; Seven Hills; St. John’s Episcopal Church; The Beauty Friends (Beauty Place); Valuing Our Children – Family Resource Center; Valuing Our Children – Support & Stabilization; Valuing Our Children – Early Childhood Programming; and Athol Royalston Family and Community Center.
This year, for the first time, Montachusett Regional Transit Authority provided shuttle buses to transport visitors to the event from the parking lots at ACES and Athol Royalston Middle School.
“I hoped people would use it,” said Mitchell, “and they 100% did. They ran right up until, I think it was 7:59 that the last shuttle was leaving with the last family.
“But – and this is the most important thing,” Mitchell continued, “people had a good time. The number aren’t as important to me as just seeing the smiles here and there and hearing the comments.”
One of the visitors, said Mitchell, was a grandfather who grew up in Athol and now lives in Arizona.
“He said, ‘This is my third year coming, and this is fantastic.’ He retired to Arizona, but he comes here with his granddaughter, and they enjoy it,” she said.
During the course of the event, some 1,200 hot dogs were served up, according to Mitchell, “and there were over twelve hundred waters that were bought this year. The weather was perfect, with like a little chill and some people were asking for cocoa.”
Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.