The Escanaba “Spooktacular” trunk-or-treat event scheduled for Oct. 19 will be a Teal Pumpkin Project event, meant to be safe for children with food allergies.

ESCANABA — The Escanaba “Spooktacular” trunk-or-treat event scheduled for Oct. 19 at Center Court will be a Teal Pumpkin Project event, meant to be safe for children with food allergies.

The Escanaba Downtown Development Authority is seeking businesses, organizations and individuals to register vehicles for the event.

The Teal Pumpkin Project was started by the charitable organization Food Allergy Research and Education, or FARE, which aims to “improve the quality of life and health of individuals with food allergy through transformative research, education and advocacy.” Teal Pumpkin encourages people to offer non-food trinkets and toys on Halloween so that children with allergies can still enjoy the experience of trick-or-treating.

Trunk-or-treats, wherein kids in costumes visit cars gathered in a common area instead of going door-to-door, have been popular in recent years. The event organized by the DDA invites participants to decorate their cars and gather at Center Court, outside the DDA building near where 11th Street meets Ludington Street. To participate with a trunk and distribute treats, parties must register at escanabadowntown.com/trunk by Oct. 17.

Decorated cars and treat-givers should assemble at Center Court between 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19. In addition to trunk decor, costumes are encouraged to help create “a festive atmosphere with various themes.” Candy, in addition to non-food items such as stickers and small toys, may be provided.

All children are welcome to trick-or-treat from 4 and 6 p.m. at the Spooktacular. Kids will be able to vote on their favorite setup, and the best-decorated vehicle will earn a prize.