10/31/2022
To address some feedback from the Upper Darby Trunk or Treat 2022 event...
"Don't have this event in the cemetery"
When we first started doing this we were in the middle of covid. The cemetery made it easy for one directional travel & social distancing. Since then the cemetery has provided adequate space for the many guests we've had each year. This year that total exceeded 7,000 people. There are few places in all of Delaware County where we can hold such an event the way it is done with so many people, let alone some place that is centrally located in Upper Darby Township. We are also only one of many events held in Arlington Cemetery, many community events are held there & none receive the backlash that our event is receiving, backlash we haven't received in previous years. The other important reason for the location we use is it's central location. Our target "audience" is Upper Darby School District. We do not advertise outside of that area. Arlington Cemetery is almost the exact center of Upper Darby Township, both Millbourne Borough & Clifton Heights Borough fall inside those same boundaries. The location is easily accessible for all residents in UDSD.
"Don't have parking in the cemetery"
We apply for permits for Upper Darby High School, Drexel Hill Middle School & Upper Darby Kindergarten Center. This year we were denied use of Upper Darby High School due to another event, leaving us with no other option but to have parking inside the cemetery. Not having parking in the cemetery would've had a serious negative impact on surrounding residents.
"It should have been more spread out this year like it was other years"
We had planned on that but that lack of trunks forced us to consolidate. We had been advertising for weeks pleading for more trunks due to low participation this year but didn't get them.
"You should pre-register every guest so you know what to expect"
Believe it or not some people in Upper Darby Township aren't on social media or don't even use the internet. We go through great lengths to get word of our event out to those people. Doing this would have a negative impact on those people that otherwise would attend. This event is designed to include all within Upper Darby School District, not to exclude.
"You should better prepare for the event"
This is answered simply by saying you have no idea what goes into planning what is the largest event in all of Upper Darby School District. If you would like us to be better prepared we would be happy to have you help in doing so.
"You should charge for the event"
Charging for the event adds mutliple complications. First is permits. Currently we do not pay for permits. If we need a permit for street use from the township, which we didn't this year since the majority of the parking was at the cemetery, that permit is free because the event is free. If we charge for the event we have to pay for that permit. We have to obtain permits for every Upper Darby School District property we use. Since we generally use 3 of those properties for the event that's 3 permits, all of which are free because the event is free. If we start charging we have to pay for those permits. All of these permits could cost several hundred dollars each. Then consider insurance. Our event has to be insured. That insurance costs upwards of $1,000 for a 4 hour event, that insurance would nearly triple in cost if we start charging. So now between permits & insurance you're taking an event that already costs $5,000-$6,000 to hold & adding another $3,000-$4,000 to the cost of the event. In addition to all of this part of our ability to obtain sponsors & donations rests on this being a free event for all. If we start charging for this event we will lose even more sponsors & donations than we have already lost due to rising costs & other factors.
"You should have police at your event"
We would love for Upper Darby Police Department to attend our event. We invite them to our event every year. We were told in person by the patrol captain this year we would have to pay to have officers come to the event to give out candy, not even to patrol the event. So if we have to pay for that we most certainly would have to pay for officers to patrol it. It is about $200 per hour per officer. Our event runs for 4 hours, trunks start setting up 2 hours prior. It takes at least an hour after the event to clear the cemetery. That's 7 hours we would need a minimum of 5 officers to patrol our event for. That's an additional $7,000 cost to us, bringing the total to $13,000-$17,000 to hold this event by making these changes.
We have seen a lot of people telling us what we should do with this event, feedback we haven't previously seen & feedback is fine, both good & bad, but to tell us what we should be doing without understanding what goes into this event is something else. What we don't see is people coming to us to help or to do trunks. We asked for volunteers for months, trunk registration opened in the summer, we ask for help every year. UDCH is also in need of members & also board members to fill vacancies.
Planning for next year's event will start early next year. We will advertise when planning starts. We will also advertise looking for members to join our organization. Anyone that would like to help out is welcome to contact us.
