Tunxis Hose Finds a Way to Make Halloween Fun

With trick-or-treating ruled too dangerous this year, the Tunxis Hose firehouse, full of smiling children, friendly faces and warm food, was one of the few places Halloween survived the violent fall storm.

For many kids, Company #1’s annual Halloween party was the only taste of Halloween after an early winter storm littered the town with power lines and branches. For others, it was the only warm meal they’d had since the storm left the town without power Saturday night.

It started with doughnuts.

“Every year we get doughnuts and cider from Dunkin Donuts,” explained Felicity Crowell, “but this year they were closed.”

So she decided to bake treats for the kids — brownies and cookies. And from there, the plan grew.

“We started getting pasta cooked for our guys for the storm,” said Chief Brian Hunter Jr. from behind a huge vat of pasta. “But the storm kept getting worse.”

Though the station had enough to feed all the emergency and highway department workers, no one had time to eat it, Hunter said. George’s Pizza donated the sauce and the department’s faithful pasta maker, Jim Bonini, prepared 22 pounds of pasta.

“Brian said we’ve got all this food and people are going to need hot food after being in the cold for so long,” Crowell said. “It was perfect.”

With the pasta and salad and pizza from George’s, more than 150 people were fed at the station. The rest of the food was being brought to the emergency shelter at Farmington High School, where hundreds of residents have been staying.

Tunxis Hose added the pasta supper Monday afternoon to its annual Halloween party.

“You’ve got to make sure kids have Halloween,” Hunter said.

And many families appreciated it.

“This is wonderful; what the fire department has done for these children,” said Michael O’Hara, who brought his two young kids.

Lisa Kall had also brought her two children to the party.

“It’s great. My mom made his costume and he wasn’t going to be able to wear at all,” she said.

For 12-year-old Skylor Roderick, who had before never missed trick-or-treating, the party was a consolation.

“I couldn’t go because my parents said it was a time when crooks could go around because there were no house lights, so I just went to this party. It was fun,” he said.

The Rebillard family, with Loren and Garret, also dressed up for the party.

“He was extremely disappointed,” said Chrissy Rebillard of her son not being able to trick-or-treat. “But we got pasta and candy. And that’s not too bad.”