KC’s largest neighborhood Halloween event hosts ghosts for last time: ‘I’ll miss it’
Dressed as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, 3-year-old Naliyah Lewis peered down from atop the shoulders of her father, Brandon Lewis, as he collected Halloween candy for her on Friday night in Kansas City’s historic Northeast area.
For Lewis, who grew up in the area, the event brought back memories of attending the annual Scare-It Halloween event and collecting treats as a kid himself. So he brought his family, including seven of his kids. Not only is it fun family time, but it’s a way to honor his grandparents.
“My grandparents literally loved Halloween, and they are not here no more,” Lewis said. “So I like to keep the spirit going for my kids.”
But Friday’s trick-or-treating was bittersweet. This is the final year for what has become one of Kansas City’s longest-running and largest neighborhood Halloween events, attracting thousands.
‘It’s been a lot of fun’
This was the 30th Annual Scare-It Halloween trick-or-treat event, hosted by the Scarritt Renaissance Neighborhood Association. The association blocks off Gladstone Boulevard for six blocks and more than 8,000 people come out to have a safe place to trick or treat, said Jeffrey Linville, who has lived in the neighborhood for 17 years.
“Thirty years ago, the neighborhood was very much different — there was a lot of crime and a lot of abandoned houses and things,” Linville said. “The organization that started it several years ago decided they needed a place for the inner-city kids to come and enjoy Halloween and to make sure it was safe for them.”
The neighborhood association’s board eventually took it over to continue the tradition. The event met its original goal and the neighborhood has come a long way, with lower crime than most of the city, so board members felt it was time to end it, said Linville, a past board member.
The event has brought a lot of memories, Linville said. Every year, he and his husband pick a different theme for their house.
“It started off kind of simple, and then through the years, it got more and more elaborate,” Linville said. He added that it will be kind of nice to slow down and enjoy Halloween a little bit more.
They chose the movie Back to the Future as this year’s theme. The soundtrack was playing, some friends dressed in 50s attire and one person came as the flux capacitor. They even borrowed a DeLorean from Hubbard’s Movie Cars. Linville dressed as Marty McFly and his husband as Dr. Emmett Brown.
They recreated the final scene of the original movie in their front yard where Marty McFly gets sent back to the future, including Doc hanging from the town’s clock.
“I’ll miss it,” Linville said. “There are a lot of memories, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
‘I love scaring people that pass by’
Iranitzy Perez dressed as Regan MacNeil in the bedroom scene from the horror film The Exorcist, complete with a bed. Her parents, Edwardo Perez and Paola Marquez, dressed as a priest and nun by her side.
“I love Halloween,” Perez said. “I love anything scary, anything frightening. It’s my favorite thing. I just love the season.”
The idea for the costume came from her mom and Perez said she has used it a couple of years because she loves it and others love it. When it comes to the question of what is more fun at Halloween, the candy or the costumes, Perez said both.
“I love getting candy, but I love scaring people that pass by — little kids, adults. It’s rewarding,” Perez said.
For Sterling Evans, who has lived in the neighborhood for four years, said this was the first time handing out candy.
“It is so much fun,” Evans said. “All the kids are excited, and it’s just a lot of fun to see how excited everyone is.”
The neighborhood association posted on its Facebook page that it was handing out nearly a half million pieces of candy.
Evans said he was passing out a wide variety, from chocolate like Twix, Reese’s, and Snickers, to Dum-Dums lollipops and Smarties. There were even granola bars in the mix for those wanting a healthier alternative.
Twix are Evans’ favorite, unless there’s a Take5, which he doesn’t see much. Evans loves those more.
When asked if he had pulled any candy aside for himself, Evans confessed: “Definitely. I have a pocket full of wrappers.”
Amy and Marcus Gray attended Friday’s event for the first time with their three children — a daughter dressed as Ghostface from the movie Scream, a son as the Front Man from the series Squid Game and another daughter as the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson.
“We wanted to come out just because we heard it was going to be a super safe event,” Amy Gray said. “With all of ... the recent happenings in Kansas City, we chose to forego trick-or-treating, and we wanted to do a safer trunk-or-treat option.”
They were grateful that the event was an option. Getting to see all the families out with their children, and even adults, dressed up was “super nostalgic,” Gray said.
“But sadly, we heard this is the last year of them hosting this event,” Gray said. “We’re just super grateful for this event and being a part of it.”
This story was originally published November 1, 2025 at 9:19 AM.
