DIXON, CA (MPG) - For several years now seeing little children dressed as cartoon characters or goblins at your front door on Halloween has diminished even in the safest of well-lit neighborhoods. More often, parents are exchanging the tradition for the safety of large church parking lots filled with cars offering treats out of their car trunks or downtown parades.

Enter Brent Fisk, a Travis Credit Union Financial consultant from the Dixon Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, who came up with the idea for Chamber members to offer a Trunk or Treat; after all, the Chamber does have a spacious parking lot since it was originally built for a transportation center.

“The inspiration for the Trunk or Treat is my three children,” he said. “They love Halloween and spend months in advance deciding what they want to be. As a parent, a safe and fun environment for them to celebrate Halloween is also very inspiring. Trunk or Treats create a space for kids to be kids, and have a lot of fun, and take home a lot of Halloween candy and treats.”

“The rest of the ambassador team embraced it completely,” said Chamber CEO Shauna Manina, who helped start the Halloween Stroll in downtown Vacaville so is experienced with the planning. “Fisk and Brandi Proffitt are taking the lead on it. The creativity, imagination, and willingness to work to make it happen from this entire group is amazing,” she added.

Because Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, Friday, Oct. 29, was the chosen day.

“This is an opportunity for Chamber member businesses outside of the downtown area to provide treats to the children from 4 to 7 pm after the downtown Dixon event (2 to 4 pm),” said Manina. “It also offers them the opportunity to be a part of a community event that brings together businesses and families in a fun and safe manner.”

Chamber participants have hinted at some immense creativity with plans to turn their cars into scenes from movies, TV shows, or books. Some will offer free glow sticks or slushies.

“If all goes as planned, the Haunted Train Tunnel (that connects the downtown core to the Chamber), will have scenes from Beetlejuice, Hocus Pocus, Stranger Things and the Adams Family. We are working closely with Starbound Theatre to provide family and kid-friendly Halloween fun,” Manina added.

For the curmudgeon who wanted to enjoy Halloween from their front door, Manina isn’t apologizing.

“The Chamber is a nonprofit that is a very important part of the Dixon community,” she said. “While the Historic Plaques Project, the Trunk or Treat, and the US Capitol Christmas Tree would not normally be considered “Chamber” functions, we feel very strongly that anything that enhances the quality of life in Dixon will only have a positive effect on the business climate.”