Policemen will take to the streets in search of bad blood. So will zombies and Spiderman.

Halloween came early for those on hand donning costumes for the fifth annual Trunk-Or-Treat Saturday, Oct. 24 at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 13030 143rd St. in Homer Glen.

The festivities that evening included food, games, a hayride and trunk-or-treating. The latter was in full force as parishioners gave away candy to those in attendance.

Deborah Bukowski, of Homer Glen, was enjoying the time spent with her family and mingling with some friends who belong to the church.

“It’s something neat for us to do with the kids to get them outside,” she said.

Bukowski added that trunk-or-treating could serve as a great addition to her family’s celebration of Halloween.

She said it’s a nice option considering how tired the kids get when trick-or-treating in Homer Glen where houses tend to be spaced further apart.

Jennifer Mendez, of Joliet, set up shop with their trunk decked out in Halloween decorations. She sat there waiting with candy as the kids came her way.

She said she and her family are parishioners so they attend the event annually.

“We come as a safe alternative to trick-or-treating,” Mendez said. “It’s a really nice fall family atmosphere.”

Despite early forecasts predicting a slight chance of rain that day, Trunk-Or-Treat brought in a number of people.

Kurt Mikuta, parish council chair, said the event typically sees 200 people in attendance and this year’s turnout was estimated to match that.

Joanna Stasaka, of Homer Glen, was sitting at the opening of her trunk, handing out candy to the kids as they came her way.

Her family has been a member at the church for three years and at this year’s Trunk-Or-Treat, she said they wanted to take part in the festivities.

“(Natalia) is having a lot of fun,” she said, adding that she has and will be having a lot of fun in the coming week with the family celebrating two birthdays on Halloween.

Jill Olszta, of New Lenox, was there spending time with her kids that evening.

She said she attended the church while growing up as a child so she felt compelled to be there.

“It’s a good addition for the kids,” Olszta said, noting that Trunk-Or-Treat serves as a nice intro to Halloween.

She said she enjoyed seeing the kids dress up and the uniquely decorated cars.

Those in attendance suited up in costumes such as Disney’s Peter Pan and Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Tina Flemming, of Homer Glen, was excited to see the kids in their costumes that evening.

“It’s nice the church does this for kids,” she said, adding that more churches should organize events like St. Bernard’s Trunk-Or-Treat if they do not already.

Flemming said her parents have been parishioners at St. Bernard for nearly 40 years and with her family now having returned to the church, it made sense for them to be there at the event.

She added that in the end, she hopes people will have fun spending time at Trunk-Or-Treat and feel compelled to attend the mass that’s held prior to the event.

Mikuta shared many of the same views as Flemming when it comes to the church and its welcoming congregation.

“(Trunk-Or-Treat) is one of several events we do throughout the year to bring the community together,” he said. “I would like for (people) to see that we can offer a lot of other things at the church.”

Mikuta said the hope is people will see what we can offer and come back for more.

Trunk-Or-Treat was an organized event sponsored by the St. Bernard Men’s Club.