Hundreds Visit Safety Town Event

A miniature Cinderella and Snow White couldn't think of stepping foot past Safety Town's front gates until their 5-year-old friend, Emma Halvorsen, dressed as White Tiana, had caught up with them.

For "Cinderella," Adara Nahornoff, 5, and her sister "Snow White," Kyra, 4, the first stop for Halloween fun was Safety Town on Sunday afternoon, where the Lake in the Hills Police Department hosted its annual trick-or-treating event.

"We come here every year," said mom Angela Nahornoff of Lake in the Hills. "It's a safe place to trick-or-treat, and the girls love it."

Hundreds of princesses, monsters and other costumed kids visited Safety Town within the first hour of the event, which took place from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the police department's safety education center, 1109 Crytal Lake Road.

The Safety Education Center is transformed in to a tiny town for the event. Children could visit 16 buildings, named after local businesses, such as Illinois State Bank, Dominicks and Northern Illinois Flight Center. 

Volunteers dressed in friendly Halloween garb handed out an assortment of treats to the visitors, many of whom were first-time trick-or-treaters.

Lake in the Hills police officer Pete Albanese, dressed as Fred Flintstone oversaw the festivities. Albanese credited the warm sunny weather and an overall interest in Safety Town for bringing out so many visitors.

"This is a community-orientated event," Albanese said. "For some of these kids, this is their first contact with the police. They get to see the police cars, and we get to know them."