Squirrelloween takes over CarMax Park: 'It brings out the entire community'

RICHMOND, Va. — A Halloween tradition took over Richmond's CarMax Park on Friday, giving families from all walks of life a safe and festive place to celebrate the season.

The annual Squirrelloween event let people circle the ballpark while picking up candy and enjoying fall activities. Organizers said the goal was to create a welcoming spot for the whole community.

"It brings out the entire community," said Megan Angstadt, vice president of community and fan engagement.

The celebration, which recently moved to CarMax Park, offered a full lineup of activities.

"We have a craft area, a pumpkin decorating area, hay rides around the field, doing a costume contest, and lots and lots of candy to hand out," Angstadt said.

Angstadt said the event was created with the surrounding neighborhoods in mind.

"We really wanted to be able to provide the neighbors in our area a place to be able to trick-or-treat that maybe didn't have neighborhoods," Angstadt said.

For many families, the event has become a tradition. Some said they have been coming back for years, even before the ballpark changed names.

"We'd been here a couple of times when it was still The Diamond, so now we're just continuing that tradition at CarMax, which is cool," one attendee said.

Others came simply for the fun of the season.

"I like to come trick-or-treating to see everybody's outfits," one trick-or-treater said.

The event also gave strangers a chance to connect.

"I just met my new friend in line," one attendee said.

And with so many candy lovers in one place, there was plenty of friendly debate over which treat reigns supreme. The answers ranged from Reese's to
Butterfinger — with a few strong opinions against some classics.

"Dots, nobody likes Dots," one attendee said.

As for the most divisive candy of all? One attendee summed it up while wearing candy corn-themed pants.

"Well, my pants are candy corn, but candy corn is controversial now," they said.