STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Six witches chanted Macbeth’s “Round about the cauldron go….double, double toil and trouble…”

And the Building MaterialsThrift Store offered children a lift up into a spooky house complete with fog and a cauldron full of candy in the back of the thrift store truck.

Spirits were high as Bellevue staged its annual Trunk or Treat along the bike path. And we’re not talking about Casper but, rather, the creative, imaginative spirit that celebrated children and fall in the Wood River Valley.

People went to great lengths to decorate the trunks of their cars with Pirates of the Caribbean and Under the Sea themes.

Some represented nonprofits, such as The Space, Wood River Land Trust, Family Health Services, Bellevue Historical Museum and The Senior Connection. Others presenting creative trunks were individuals, such as Frank and Amanda Suwanrit who decorated their trunk with a Cookie Monster them, and businesses like Ketchum Plumbing, which is actually based in Bellevue and Clearwater Power Equipment.

“I love being a big chicken,” said one man as he watched Lilianna Bridge hand out treats on behalf of The Community Library’s Bookmobile. “This is my daughter’s gig, and I’m very proud of her.”

George Thomas, the district director for Scouting America Mountain West Council, tried to engage the children in scouting setting up a campsite with a tent and sleeping bags accompanied by the motto “Prepared for Life.”

“We have a pack in Ketchum, but we’re trying to set up one in Bellevue and one in Hailey—wherever the kids are,” he said. “My three sons are all in scouting—they went camping last weekend in the rain. It’s something wholesome. It helps them become good leaders, good citizens. It helps them become independent and self-sufficient.”

Brian Parker and Carter Bullock of the City of Bellevue asked children trivia questions, such as “What is a comprehensive plan?” in exchange for a treat.

And a group of witches that included Janet Carter, Janet Houts, Marilyn Baybutt, Martha Burke, Ellen Glaccum and Sarah Burke handed out freeze-dried Beef Liver Treats—not for the children—but for the dogs parading down the path. Oh, they also handed out some chocolate bars for kids being drug along by the dogs.

“I saw it unfolding as I moved into my house the first year they had it, and I said, ‘We should do something,’ ” said Sarah Burke.

Lauren and Bradley Levig, who are newcomers to Bellevue, heard about the Trunk or Treat and decided to walk the plank, pitching in as pirates handing out gold chocolate coins from their treasure chest.

“I’m looking to join the board of the library and so thought ‘What a fun idea!’ ” said Lauren Levig.