Left: Dot Evans of the Alachua Chamber of Commerce helps distribute treats during the Trick or Treat on Main Street event on Oct. 31. The event is hosted by the Chamber, co-sponsored by the City of Alachua and supported by local merchants who give away candy. (Today photo/RAY CARSON)

ALACHUA – Halloween is an ancient tradition. In modern times it’s a celebration, a time to creatively dress up as witches, goblins, superheroes or any other alter ego. Adults celebrate with parities and children get to go trick or treating in costume asking for candy. It is a time of fantasy and imagination. But its roots go far back in history, a combination of the celebration of fall and a time to honor the departed.

In Alachua on Halloween and the days leading up to it, there were several celebrations filling the downtown Main Street area with spooks, witches, superheroes, demons and a myriad of other costumes.

On Thursday, Oct. 28, Tony and Al's restaurant in downtown Alachua held a special event featuring music and art based around the Halloween tradition. Seven artists were present at the event featuring photography, stained glass and drawings as well as jewelry, wooden masks and carvings. Mark Miale was the featured musical performer accompanied by Rickylee Brawner and Jon Rhoads. Member of the audience dressed in costume and prizes were given for best couple and best costume with Best costume going to Lynda Short who was dressed as a nun.

But the main Halloween event was Alachua’s annual Trick or Treat on Main Street on Halloween night as thousands of young – and old – ghosts, goblins and superheroes took to the downtown area. The event is hosted by the Alachua Chamber of Commerce and co-sponsored by the City of Alachua. The celebration has been going on for 14 years and continues to attract large crowds each year.

Although Halloween in America has a long tradition of children in costumes going house to house, times have changed, and many parents are concerned for children’s safety walking through neighborhoods in the dark. The Chamber founded the event to create a safe place for children and families to walk around and collect candy that is safety checked. They also wanted to maintain a spirit of community within the town by bringing the event to Main Street.

Local businesses on Main Street, city offices and corporate sponsors set up stations to give out candy to the children. All the candy is purchased by the individual businesses. Some of the corporate sponsors included Publix and Waste Pro. The city of Alachua Public Service division and Police department also provided candy stations. Several church groups also participated, including First Baptist Church of Alachua and River of Life church. Christ Central Church also handed out balloons to children.

In addition to the candy stations, other activities included a costume contest for children and prizes for the winners of the Scarecrow on Main Street contest. First prize went to Doctor Douglas Adel, second prize was awarded to Mebane Middle School Student Government sponsored by Waste Pro and the third prize went to Alachua Boy Scout Troop 88.

The event was a success with one of the largest crowds they have had and plenty of happy kids. As Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper stood watching the crowd with satisfaction, he said, “The event only lasts a couple of hours , but you walk the whole length of Main Street and see everyone having fun. They all go home with smiles on their faces and you can't ask for any better than that.”

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Tom Wallace chats with colleagues impressed with his handiwork in building his own car. (Today photo/RAINA BARNETT)  

ALACHUA – Gentle country music lilted through the cool October air, pristine hot rods lined the street and blue lips slurped away on snow cones on Main Street in Alachua on Saturday, Oct. 22.

The Alachua Chamber of Commerce First Annual Car Show brought proud car owners from all over Florida to showcase and share their knowledge and passion for cars.

Andy Hamilton, an Alachua County resident, relaxed in a fold-out lawn chair in the shade as he discussed cars with his friend, Tom Wallace.

“This is just a great group of people who come together enjoying a common interest,” he said. “I have a 2016 Mercedes AMG GTS I traded in for another one of my cars a while ago.”

Wallace, who built his own replica 1965 Cobra Roadster by hand from a kit from Factory Five, said he remembers loving cars since he was a kid.

“When I was about five years old my neighbor had a 1963 Corvette,” he said. “He took me for a ride in it. In the 60s, there was nothing faster.”

Wallace broke out a scrapbook from the trunk he made that documented him buying the parts, transporting them, building the car itself, and finally driving it.

Couples, friends and families strolled down Main Street admiring the cars on display, which ranged from BMWs to cars from the 60s to Keith Perry’s 1958 Buick Special.

With a toddler clung to his back, Marty Kurtz stopped in front of a classic yellow Dodge from the 60s.

“I just happened upon this,” he said. “My wife and I went to Conestogas to eat and now we’re just looking for something to do.”

Next year, a bigger selection of cars will be displayed, and food trucks and even a bounce house for kids will be added.

For the adults who attended, however, they were happy to get out, enjoy the weather, and appreciate these makes and models from the “good old days.”

“These cars are like women,” Wallace said. “They’ve just got beautiful curves and you have to take great of them.”

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Dorothy looks out the window as the house drops on the bad witch. This colorful display was sponsored by The Music Junction. (Today photo/RAY CARSON)

ALACHUA – Main Street Alachua has been occupied by scarecrows – they stand in front of many of the stores – and the City of Alachua has even designated the street as Scarecrow Row. But even though Halloween is right around the corner, there is no reason for concern over the sudden appearance of so many scarecrows.

For 14 years, the Alachua Chamber of Commerce has hosted an event where businesses on Main Street and other local business sponsors have decorated Main Street in celebration of Halloween. This year the theme was based around scarecrows and the Wizard of Oz.

Each business on Main Street has the opportunity to decorate one of the light pole locations with a scene based on the Wizard of Oz story. They can either “purchase” a pole at $25 per pole or $75 for the pole and their name on the poster. They can also partner with a corporate business sponsor. The sponsors purchase a pole for $300, which also includes their business name on the banner at each end of Main Street. The money raised goes toward programs and events hosted by the Chamber of Commerce to help promote business on Main Street and provide services and facilities to the community, including events like the Trick or Treat on Main Street and the Christmas Parade. Funds raised by the Chamber of Commerce have also been used to make improvements at Alachua's Hal Brady Recreation Center Complex including the recent addition of a electronic scoreboard.

The Alachua Chamber of Commerce sponsors events to raise public awareness of local businesses downtown, bring more tourist and consumers to the area, and create a sense of community and partnership within the local businesses. Events like the Scarecrow Row allow the businesses to advertise and increase their customer base. They also have the support of a number of corporate businesses located within the community that are members of the Chamber. A comprehensive list of the Chambers members can be found at Alachua.com.

But events like the Scarecrow Row and Christmas Parade are not just about business and marketing. They are about the community and creating a friendly environment for all the citizens of Alachua. According to a Chamber spokesperson, it’s about giving back to the community. “These events offer a place for the public to come out and enjoy free activities. The Trick or Treat on Main Street offers a safe alternative for our kids to celebrate Halloween in a specific well lit and safe location. Businesses give out candy for the kids and it helps build a sense of the small town community, she said.

Music Junction owner Leon Barrows agrees. He designed and built a scarecrow scene in front of his business as did 30 other businesses. “To me it's not so much about promoting my business; I did it for the fun of it and to participate with the other businesses on Main Street. There is a real sense of family among the businesses here and the Scarecrow Row gives us an opportunity to work together as a community.” Barrows said.

Each participating business has designed and constructed their own display, and prizes, as well as plaques will be presented for first second and third place at the Trick or Treat on Main Street event on Oct. 31. The scarecrows will be up for the entire month of October for the pubic to view. So come wander down Main Street, currently known as Scarecrow Row to view the creative talents of local businesses.

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Alachua Police Department Chief Chad Scott (left) talks with Bobbi and Keith Owens at the Coffee with a Cop event. The Owens were driving to Atlanta and stopped in for a coffee break. (Today photo/RAY CARSON)

ALACHUA – On Friday, Oct. 21, the Alachua McDonalds was full of police, including nine officers from both High Springs and Alachua, as well as the chief of the Alachua Police department. But no crime had been committed, and they weren't serving out tickets. They were serving coffee. Known as Coffee with a Cop, the event is part of a nationwide program that helps police officers interact with the citizens they protect and build better communications with the community.

Typical encounters between the police and citizens happen when they are called for assistance or pulled over by an officer. These interactions are often stressful and confrontational, which puts the officers in a situation where he or she is seen as an authority figure, and not as a fellow human being. The idea behind the program is to allow an environment where the public and the police officers can interact over a cup of coffee on a personal level and where the public can ask any questions they may have about the department or policies.

The program was started in 2011 in Hawthorne, California, by the local police department. At the time they were trying to restructure their department to a more community oriented model where the officers worked within the community, so there was a familiarity between officers and the people they protected. As they considered ways of building community trust, it was suggested that maybe a simple idea like sitting down at a local coffee house could allow officers to interact in a more casual way with the citizens It could also have the benefit of putting a human face on the person behind the badge.

The program was such a success, that other police departments were soon emulating the program. In 2013, a national training program was established by the Hawthorne Police Department and The University of Illinois Center for Public Safety and Justice to help train police departments in better community interaction through the Coffee with a Cop program. The program continued to expand, including in other countries worldwide.

Michael Streicher, the owner of the Alachua McDonalds, had heard about the program and approached the Alachua Police Department to see if they would be interested in partnering by hosting an event. The Alachua Public Information Officer, Sargent Jesse Sandusky, had also heard of the program and was looking for ways to create better communications and get feedback from the public. They agreed to host the event and expanded it to include the High Springs Police Department as well.

“We wanted to create an opportunity for officers to interact with the public and allow the citizens the ability to express any concerns they might have directly to the officers. We wanted to create a positive setting where everyone could discuss what is best for the community,” Sandusky said. The event was originally planned for Oct. 7, 2016, which has been officially recognized as National Coffee with a Cop day. But with the threat of Hurricane Matthew approaching the area on the same day, the event was postponed. With a State of Emergency declared, all officers would be on duty for the hurricane. After the storm passed, the event was rescheduled for Oct. 21.

At 9 a.m., Sargent L.A. Hunter of the Alachua Police Department began serving coffee to every customer that came in the door at McDonalds. Other officers mingled among the customers to answer any questions or address any concerns.

“This gives our officers the opportunity to talk to their fellow citizens. Some people see officers as an authority figure, but they are your neighbors, with the same goals, dreams and families,” Sandusky said. “Nationally, there have been some shooting incidents in the news lately that have created mistrust among the public. We wanted to overcome that image. We want people to feel trust with the officers and identify them as your neighbor as well.”

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