The annual Trunk-or-Treat event at the Soboba Sports Complex is always enjoyed by families of students who attend the Soboba Tribal Preschool. The time was changed from 2-4 p.m. this year so young ones could attend with their older siblings. This allowed them all to dress up in their Halloween costumes and visit theme- and treat-filled trunks set up by Soboba departments and community members.
“We had 36 trunks at our event, which is the most we’ve ever had,” Preschool Administrator Lenora “Ponie” Mojado said. “We included family and parent trunks, along with some contributions from elders in the community, which was fantastic.”
Being held the day before Halloween gave kids a chance to practice their best treat-or-treating manners, thanking those who were handing out sweets. Several of the trunks offered interaction and games so the kids could enjoy the displays as well as the candy they received.
Preschool teachers and staff hosting trunks full of treats easily recognized the students despite masks and other altering costumes. Mojado said the overwhelmingly favorite costumes among the children were the K-Pop Demon Hunters, with many students dressed as characters from that show such as the long-pigtailed Rumi.
“I want to give a shout-out to our parents for their generous candy donations and for being such a vital part of the Trunk-or-Treat event,” Mojado said. “Our community is wonderful, and they dedicate their time and effort to support the preschool. I am also grateful to the preschool team for going the extra mile with their trunks and for their hard work on both school days and Trunk Day, despite the heat. We had a lot of fun!”
Soboba Parks & Recreation gave huge candy-filled bags to all who stopped at their Ghostbusters stand. The AVID club at Noli Indian School paid homage to the animated film “Coco” which highlights Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The Noli Booster Club also hosted a trunk.
Preschool Administrative Assistant Maria Hernandez said, “It was such a joy to see so many smiling faces and little ones dressed up in their adorable costumes. The energy, excitement, and creativity were felt all around! What made it even more special was seeing all the departments and families come together—not just to participate, but to truly show up for the children in our community. From the thoughtful decorations to the fun costumes, it was clear how much heart everyone put into making this event magical. Thank you to everyone who helped create such a memorable experience for our kiddos and families. Your efforts made a lasting impact, and we are so grateful.”
Members of the Soboba Foundation and Tribal Council joined forces to welcome children to the “Nevermore Academy” that is attended by Wednesday Addams. Chairman Isaiah Vivanco, Vice Chairwoman Geneva Mojado, Secretary Monica Herrera, Treasurer Adona Salgado and Sergeant-at-Arms Daniel Valdez took turns handing out lots of sweet treats. Foundation members who pitched in included President Andy Silvas, Vice President Joey Placencia and other volunteers.
Soboba’s Tribal Administration was represented by front office staff, and the Accounting and Janitorial departments. The latter went all out with an elaborate depiction of Alice in Wonderland, complete with the main characters and having the children enter the rabbit hole’s archway to join in the Mad Hatter’s tea party and get a cardboard teapot box filled with candy. Their hard work paid off as they received first place in the Trunk Decorating contest.
The newly crowned Daughter of Soboba Su’la Arviso was joined by her mother Melissa and members of the DOS committee to serve up treats at the “Dutch Boo’s” coffee shop, not to be confused with Dutch Bros. Their unique design earned them second place in the Trunk Decorating contest.
Many parents and grandparents of preschool students volunteered to host a trunk and some included games. There was a “walk the plank” in shark-infested waters that attracted some of the braver students while Snoopy and the Great Pumpkin was a winner among the youngest kids. But it was Jade Morillo and her family that got the third-place nod in the Trunk Decorating contest with their elaborate “Monsters, Inc.” display.
“Being able to witness the different departments and families of the preschool students come out to support and be a part of this event was super heartwarming,” preschool co-teacher Jess Thompson said. “Each trunk had its own uniqueness, and creativity was definitely a strong suit that everyone had. I’m excited to see what participants have in store for next year!”
Bianca Machado and her family hosted a trunk, as did the Arres family, the Placencias and the Morillos. “We try to do something different than everyone else,” Tara Placencia said. “We went with all ghosts this year.”
Public Works had fun with their M&Ms booth, with each person dressed as a different candy-coated color. Soboba Tribal Environmental Department tricked visitors by having ramen containers filled with sweet candy and not savory noodles. Human Resources played up Candyland in a big way. Tribal Family Services hosted a pirate ship candy station.
The Department of Public Safety chose a Minecraft theme, painting all the blocks themselves. Soboba Casino Resort used Willy Wonka as the basis for their trunk load of candy that kids were encouraged to take by the handful. And they didn’t even need a Golden Ticket to do it.
Roadrunner Express employees were on hand with a carnival theme, and the Soboba Culture Department nailed a timely subject with a baseball game concession stand. Staff members dressed up as a box of popcorn, a hot dog, a hamburger and baseball players.
The preschool hosted several trunks/booths including InsideOut 2, Super Mario Kart and a takeoff on the popular animated character Bluey, calling their candy stop Booey and featuring cutouts of the popular characters in their own costumes.
Preschool teacher Julissa Garcia said, “I loved seeing the community come together for our kiddos. Like every year, it’s fun to see the creativity from both participating departments and families. I’m glad we were able to accommodate our students’ siblings’ school schedules a little more this time around so that we could include them in this event. I know how much it meant for our students to get to trick-or-treat with their siblings. Shout out to everyone who showed up and showed out for another successful Trunk-or-Treat!”
Mojado said preparation for the Oct. 30 event began in September when staff reached out to departments, utilizing a list from previous years to help guide their outreach. “To get the community involved, we posted the event on Korbyt and encouraged those interested to sign up,” she said. “Soboba Preschool has an amazing community that truly supports these efforts.”
The request for donations was met with an outstanding response. “We received a generous amount of candy donations from parents, which allowed us to have plenty of treats for the Halloween Carnival at the Sports Complex (on Oct. 18) and for preschool Trunk or Treat. We shared the candy through five trunks and still have a little amount left over which we will use for goody bags for our Fall Feast,” Mojado said.
The most exciting part of the event for her was seeing all the children in their costumes and admiring the different trunks. “Everyone really showed up for the preschool children, and the turnout was great,” she said. “The creativity of the trunks was amazing.”
Pre-K teacher Elena Vega-Castello said it was heartwarming to see everyone come together to create such a fun celebration for the children. “It was a beautiful reminder of the strength of our school and community. The dedication and creativity from all the families truly made the event shine once again,” she said. “Thank you to all the families who really put forward the effort to make it magical for our kids.”
Kindergarten co-teacher Alaina Adkins said, “This year’s Trunk-or-Treat was definitely a hit. Everyone worked really hard one their displays and you can tell that they really brought their all! I can’t wait for next year!”
Photos courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
Caption for treat 1: Members of Soboba’s Janitorial Department go all out to recreate the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland for preschool students who attended the Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 30 at the Soboba Sports Complex. Their display resulted in a first-place win for best decoration.
Caption for treat 2: Tribal Council Secretary Monica Herrera gives candy to “Batman” while Soboba Foundation Secretary Joey Placencia and “Wonder Woman” look on at the Nevermore Academy booth hosted by Tribal Council and Soboba Foundation members.
Caption for treat 3: Serving up beverages and treats at the Dutch Boo’s booth are Daughter of Soboba Su’la Arviso, Melissa Arviso and Tribal Council Vice Chairwoman and $ovóova Po’$wáamay committee member Geneva Mojado. A second place prize was awarded to them for their efforts.
Caption for treat 4: Leilani Grant, 6, left, and her brother Liam Grant, 8, enjoy their time at the cutouts of the Twiddledum and Twiddledee characters from Alice in Wonderland.
Caption for treat 5: Soboba Fire Captain John Hines provides two fireman helmets to a costumed visitor at the annual Preschool Trunk-or-Treat event, Oct. 30.
Caption for treat 6: Members of Soboba Public Works Department have fun sharing M&Ms with children visiting their booth.
Caption for treat 7: Mermaid Gloria Gonzalez, 6, visits the Monsters, Inc. display created by Jade Morillo and family at the annual Soboba Tribal Preschool Trunk-or-Treat event, Oct. 30. The display earned a third-place price for its decoration.
Caption for treat 8: Costumed kids make their way around the 36 decorated trunks to collect candy during the preschool’s annual Trunk-or-Treat at the Soboba Sports Complex.
Caption for treat 9: Friendly scarecrow Linnea Lopez, 7, walks the plank amid shark-infested waters to get candy at this year’s Halloween event.
Caption for treat 10: Kindergartner Marcie Brane, 5, sits inside a Super Mario Kart while Luigi and the piranha plant video game characters look on.
Caption for treat 11: It was all about the Great Pumpkin for Snoopy and Jolene Johnson, holding her nephew and possibly a future Soboba Tribal Preschool student Waluulut Vallez, 7 months.
Caption for treat 12: Pre-K student Willow Valdez as a bedazzled fairy is not afraid of the monster who welcomes her to a display at the annual Trunk-or-Treat event, Oct. 30.