Light Up the Night’s spirit of community was all treats and no tricks for crowd | Mount Olive Tribune

By Steve Herring [email protected]

Elaynna Gregory, 8, holds the cake she won during a cake walk at Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration sponsored by Mount Olive First Pentecostal Holiness Church and held at Westbrook Park. With Elaynna is her mother Leslie. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Children wait for their cotton candy at Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Free Krispy Kreme doughnuts were popular at Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

There were a variety of games at Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration including this one where participants had to hit areas as they lit up. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Lisa Dail, left, and Karson McCullen of Mount Olive First Pentecostal Holiness Church keep the popcorn popping at Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration sponsored by the church at Westbrook Park. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Jasmine Perez, 3, reaches out for her bag of candy. Children received the candy as they signed in for Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Aliyanie Nunez, 4, wasted no time in eating her cotton candy. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Westbrook Park was crowded Thursday night for the annual Light Up the Night celebration sponsored by Mount Olive First Pentecostal Holiness Church. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Children and some adults wore costumes for Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration at Westbrook Park.

Rides on the Mount Olive Pickle Train were popular for children and adults Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

A youthful participant in the cake walk gets ready to step off. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

A large slide was among several bouncy houses at the Light Up the Night celebration held on Halloween at Westbrook Park and sponsored by Mount Olive Pentecostal Holiness Church. (Steve Herring|mountolivetribune.com)

Elaynna Gregory of the Summerlins Crossroads community could hardly wait to get home and dive into her Halloween goodies topped off with whipped cream.

And even though she had a bag of candy, what she wanted to sample was the chocolate layer cake she had just won during a cake walk at Thursday night’s Light Up the Night celebration.

Sponsored by Mount Olive First Pentecostal Holiness Church, the annual event held from 6-8 p.m. at Westbrook Park attracted about 1,000 people.

People began arriving well before the 6 p.m. start and parking was at a premium as available spaces around the park quickly filled to overflowing.

The cake walk was held on the park’s old tennis court where numbered circles were laid out in a large circle.

As music played, participants advanced from one circle to the next. When the music stopped, organizers would select a number at random.

The person standing in that numbered circle was the winner and could select the cake of their choice.

For Elaynna 13 was her lucky number. She picked out a chocolate layer cake, one of her favorites.

Elaynna, who celebrated her eighth birthday Friday, Oct. 25, said she enjoys cake walks.

She was dressed as the DC Comics’ Harley Quinn. The character normally carries a baseball bat. However, Elaynna had to settle for a battle ax since they could not find a bat for her costume.

“We couldn’t find it (bat) so we picked out this,” she said holding up the fake ax.

Elaynna said she was having fun and that if they had time they planned to trick or treat in Faison even though she already had the cake that she planned to sample as soon as she got home.

“I got on some of the bouncy houses with my older brother,” she said. “We played on the playground. We did the cake walk.”

Elaynna said her favorite place to visit is Mount Olive First Pentecostal Holiness Church.

“We haven’t been to the Halloween thing before, but we have been to the Easter celebration her,” said her mother Leslie Gregory.

Gregory said they decided to attend because they have started going to the church and had gotten involved in it.

She added that they enjoy the youth and all of the things that the church does for the children.

“It’s nice, really nice, and you don’t have to worry about walking down the street, getting stuff from people you don’t know,” she said.

Gregory said her daughter would be able to sample the cake when they got home.

“But we don’t have any ice cream,” she started.

“Whipped cream,” Elaynna quickly added.

First PHC Pastor Jeff Dail and his wife Lisa were operating two popcorn poppers and preparing bags of the treat prior to the 6 p.m. start.

“We wanted to be able to come here in the community and just be a blessing to the families in our community,” Dail said. “It has really evolved since 2009. Our youth and outreach pastor John Michelson has really taken it to another level and some the games, the things we do here with the kids.

“We wouldn’t be able to do this without (Mount Olive) Friends of the Parks. They have been a blessing to us. They have the (Pickle) Train running for us. They have been huge. Mount Olive Parks and Recreation and the town of Mount Olive have just embraced it and welcomed us to do this every year. We are just grateful we have this opportunity.”

Well over 1,000 people attend each year going all the way back to the event’s start in 2009, he added.

“We share information about Jesus with the children and families,” Dail added. “But it is mainly coming out here and just wanting to connect with our community, bless them, just meet people and build relationships with them, and just offer them a safe night and a fun night right here in our own community.”

As children entered the park they registered and received a bag of candy. Many, including some adults, wore Halloween costumes.

Free popcorn, cotton candy and Krispy Kreme doughnuts were handed out and since the weather was warm, there was free bottles of cold of water instead of the traditional hot chocolate.

“Normally our food kitchen is here, serving out of it,” Dail said. “But we are using it to feed people in the mountains with. We are having to improvise a bit here tonight.”

Children could play on bouncy houses including a large slide, basketball throw and several other games.

Portable lights were set up.

Two of the more popular events were the cake walk and Pickle Train ride where a long line of adults and children waited to ride the train around the park.

The cake walks were held about every 10 to 15 minutes and all of the circles were occupied well before each start.

“The parents enjoy that more than the kid do,” Dail said.

The children also used the opportunity to play on the playground.

“We have a ton of volunteers here, to, to make it happen,” Dail said. “It’s just a great church family coming together to serve our community.”