Toms River will hold its annual Trunk or Treat on Monday, Oct. 19, at Riverwood Park, giving families another free fall event following the township’s Rockin’ Fall Fest earlier in the month.

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Halloween festivities are returning to Riverwood Park next month as Mayor Daniel T. Rodrick and the Toms River Recreation Department prepare for a community Trunk or Treat featuring decorated cars, candy and prizes.

The event will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at the Riverwood Park Soccer Field, 201 Riverwood Drive.

Residents are invited to decorate their vehicles and participate as a “trunk,” handing out candy to children moving through the park.

Prizes planned for decorated cars

Toms River will award trophies for the top three decorated vehicles.

Residents interested in registering a vehicle can call the township at 732-341-1000 and speak with Colleen at extension 8415 or Lynda at extension 8410.

The rain date is Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The event is being presented by Rodrick and the Toms River Recreation Department, continuing a schedule of free community events that has stretched from summer concerts into the fall.

Fall calendar already underway in Toms River

The Trunk or Treat comes just over two weeks after the township’s Rockin’ Fall Fest, scheduled for Oct. 3 at Winding River Park North.

As Shore News Network previously reported, the Fall Fest will include a KISS tribute band, free carnival rides, hayrides, face painting, a pumpkin patch and food trucks.

That event runs from 4 to 9 p.m. and is another part of the township’s expanded lineup of family-oriented recreation events.

The October calendar follows a summer that included free waterfront concerts at Shelter Cove Beach, fireworks and other township-sponsored entertainment.

Riverwood Park becomes Halloween destination

Riverwood Park is one of Toms River’s largest recreation areas, with athletic fields and open space capable of accommodating larger community events.

For Trunk or Treat, the soccer field area will become a temporary Halloween gathering place, with decorated vehicles serving as individual candy stops.

The format has grown increasingly popular in communities across Ocean County, giving children an organized location to trick-or-treat while residents compete to create elaborate Halloween displays from their cars and SUVs.

The township is encouraging residents who want to decorate a trunk to register ahead of the event.