BELLE — Belle’s Halloween festivities brought together students, teachers, businesses, churches and volunteers for one of the town’s most spirited celebrations in years. Between the Belle High School haunted house, the city’s long-running trunk-or-treat, and multiple church festivals, the evening offered fun for every age, and a reminder of how community traditions grow stronger when everyone takes part.

Belle High School art teacher Cody Walker is known for helping students bring creativity to the classroom, but each October he helps them bring it to life in a different way. Walker and his art club run the school’s annual haunted house and trunk-or-treat, which have become anticipated community traditions. This year’s haunted house drew inspiration from The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn, featuring what Walker described as “cannibalistic hillbillies” dreamed up entirely by students.

“The kids come up with the themes, they make their costumes, and they build a lot of the props,” Walker said. “That’s the one requirement I have. If you’re going to work the house, you have to supply your costume.”

While Walker provides some reusable props each year, many purchased from Spirit Halloween, he said most of what visitors see is hand-built by students. This year’s creations included a ten-foot paper-mâché alligator named Moritz, a giant snake, and a cardboard outhouse cleverly used to disguise vending machines.

“We start planning at the beginning of the school year,” Walker said. “It’s arguably the most stressful time of the year for me, but I kind of love it in a way. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, but it’s worth it to see how much fun they have.”

The haunted house not only gives students a creative outlet but also raises funds for the art club. Proceeds usually support art-related field trips and projects, though this year Walker arranged to share a portion with students attending the senior trip.

“It allows us to continue doing things like our end-of-year field trip to an art college,” he said. “The kids get a firsthand experience of what it’s like to be part of a college art department.”

Walker, who also helps organize the school’s trunk-or-treat, said the best part is seeing students take ownership of the event.

“Being on the other side is the most fun you’ll ever get to have,” he said. “It isn’t fun because I’m scaring people—it’s fun because of how into it the kids get and how much work they put in.”

Despite running one of the town’s most popular haunted houses, Walker admitted he’s not a fan of visiting them himself.

“I love Halloween, I just hate haunted houses,” he said with a laugh. “But Halloween has always been one of the most fun times of the year for me. It’s a way to return the favor of the joy my students bring me by giving them something they can be proud of.”

While the haunted house thrilled visitors on school grounds, the city’s main trunk-or-treat drew families to the Belle Community Center, where Owens Towing is now hosting the event they have sponsored for 24 years with support from the city and Mount Zion Baptist Church.

City treasurer and office manager Charro Reasor said she’s grateful the city continues to play a role in the event.

“I love that the city can be involved,” Reasor said. “Steve Brown’s been doing it for 24 years. We like partnering with him. He’s easy to work with and enjoyable. It’s fun for the community.”

What began decades ago as a small partnership between Owens Towing and Mount Zion has grown into a full-scale community effort. City employees, local businesses, and church volunteers handed out candy, cupcakes, and hot dogs to hundreds of children.

“We had 150 cupcakes and ran out,” Reasor said. “Eventually we ran out of candy too. It was great.”

Debbie Brown, of Owens Towing, said the partnership with the city began when bad weather forced the event to relocate from Owens Towing’s lot.

“Out of mercy from City Hall, they let us use the community center, and they’ve been gracious enough to let us use it every year since,” she said. “We had a very good turnout—lots of kids and families came, and we got rid of all our hot dogs and popcorn.”

Mount Zion Baptist continues to sponsor food and run raffles for donated bicycles that benefit the school’s backpack program.

“We donate the bikes for the backpack lunches, and they do a raffle,” Brown explained. “The kids get really excited about it, and usually someone who needs it gets it.”

At the same time, the Osage Arts Community (OAC) and Barb’s Books, the state’s largest nonprofit used bookstore, joined in at both the community center and high school, giving away hundreds of free children’s books. OAC Executive Director Mark McClane said this was the group’s fifth year participating.

“We evacuated all the middle school and elementary school books from the entire bookstore,” McClane said. “We brought about 15 boxes, roughly 700 books, and it’s always wonderful for our kids to be able to take these books home and create a library in their house.”

McClane said the event helps connect the organization’s mission with families who might not otherwise visit the bookstore.

“This gives us more of a public face,” he said. “Missourians are really polite, if they don’t feel comfortable going into a store, they won’t go. So this is a low threshold for them to get to know us.”

Seeing children light up over a new book, he added, helps foster a love for reading beyond the classroom.

“It’s refreshing to see these kids,” McClane said. “I know I’ll see them in the future at the art center. We’re trying to build lifelong readers.”

The evening’s community spirit extended well beyond the school and center. The First Baptist Church held its Fall Festival, where more than 150 people enjoyed carnival-style games, a bounce house, and a cake walk. Just down the road, the First Assembly of God Church hosted its own trunk-or-treat, serving hot dogs, drinks, and candy to costumed children making their rounds. The combined efforts of Belle’s schools, churches and civic groups helped make this year’s Halloween one of the most festive in recent memory.

Reasor said she hopes that cooperation continues next year, and maybe even unites everyone in one location.

“I like it,” she said. “I wish we could all be in one place so people didn’t have to go to so many different locations. But with it being on a Friday night, you’re going to have a bigger turnout than through the week.”

For now, she said, Belle’s Halloween remains a shining example of what a small town can do when its people come together.

“I’d like to thank Steve Brown with Owens Towing for hosting it,” Reasor said. “I’m excited for next year and want to thank our mayor and council for supporting us, because we couldn’t do it without them, or the community, showing up.”