Rantoul Community Transforms into a Halloween Haven for Trick-or-Treaters

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RANTOUL, Ill. (WCIA) — A wave of young revelers took over Rantoul for a spine-tingling celebration that locals say fills the town with happiness. On Friday, the streets came alive with ghosts, witches, superheroes, and other imaginative costumes.

“We look forward to this event every single year,” shared Abbey Good, a long-time resident of Rantoul.

In related news, a long-abandoned factory in Champaign will soon be transformed into a new apartment complex.

Each Halloween, the Indian Hills neighborhood in Rantoul becomes a magnet for hundreds eager to join the festivities. Although Abbey Good has called this place home for 12 years, she notes that the event’s rising popularity is a fairly new phenomenon.

“We never really did any promotion or anything like that. People just started showing up, and it kept getting bigger each year,” Good explained.

“It’s great to see all the little kids and being in such cute costumes, and the older ones too,” Good said. “We do like to see that as well. This is a really fun time for us.”

A few of the favorites were the Ghostbusters, a Ninja Turtle and a little ghost who’s more smiley than scary. And of course, they all got what they came for.

“Fun dip, and then we have a couple different toys,” Good said. “There’s a little squishy eyeball and, fangs that you can put in your mouth.”

But that’s not the only draw. This Glow on Grove light display is synched up to music playing for all to get in the spooky and family spirit.

“Everyone’s pretty wowed if they’ve never seen something like this,” said Glow on Grove organizer Brendan Olauson. “My favorite reactions are usually when I see parents with small kids, and the kids are just in awe.”

But whether its treats or tunes, everyone loves to see their community come out and have fun.

“It’s definitely cool to be a part of something like that,” Olauson said.