Like a werewolf under a full moon, the historic downtown square surrounding the Limestone County Courthouse transformed into a spooky spectacle of ghastly fun and community spirit on Halloween night.

Crews from the Athens Police Department, Athens Fire and Rescue and the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office joined forces Thursday, Oct. 31, bringing to life a safe trick-or-treating environment for the area’s children, and older costume enthusiasts, to enjoy.

“We look forward to this event every single year,” Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin told The News Courier. “It’s pouring down rain and there’s still people lined up all the way around the block, so clearly the people care about this event just as much as we do. In our line of work we want to have solid community relationships, and this is a great opportunity for us to build on that.”

Despite the surprise downpour, the hundreds of parents and trick-or-treaters in attendance did not let their Halloween spirit get bogged down — rushing from vendor to vendor to collect their fair share of chocolate and candy.

“There’s a lot of firefighters, sheriffs and police officers out here running around,” McLaughlin humorously joked about the vast number of first responder costumes he saw at the event. “It’s a great way for us to recruit early. We like all of the costumes, but anytime we see one of them we get a little more excited. It just means the world to see people, who probably have a million other things they could be doing tonight, come out and support us.”

As the square was set ablaze with the vibrant colors emanating from various law enforcement cruisers, fire trucks and the courthouse’s holiday-inspired orange and green LED lights — local vendors bared the substantial rain to deliver beaming smiles and candy.

“This event puts a smile on our faces and a lot of kids as well,” Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell said. “Last year we saw 1,100 people come through, and we expect even more this time if the weather doesn’t slow us down. At these young ages, all of these kids love police officers and sheriff deputies. That’s how we want to keep it as they grow older, because they need to know that we are there to help them.”

Athens Fire Chief James Hand reciprocated those sentiments of the special event, which lasted from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. He specifically noted how much joy he and his crew members take in seeing themselves reflected in the costumes of the young kids who see them as heroes larger than life.

“We really do care about all the people of this community, and it’s great to be able to show that,” Hand said. “The support we get from this community never surprises me, that’s how the people of this town have always been.”