Realty executive hosted a spooktacular trunk or treat for children

By Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta Correspondent

Realty Executives was the place to be for ghoulish fun on Oct. 28.

Matthew DeFede hosted a festive Trunk or Treat community event for families. Hundreds of people came to the backyard of his realty office on 653 Franklin Ave., Nutley. The unseasonable 80-degree weather had people in great spirits as they walked around in their costumes. Halloween tunes were played over speakers, like “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” “The Munsters Theme Song,” “Thriller” and of course, “Monster Mash.”

In addition to community vendors who had trunks filled with free candy for children, families were also given tickets for complimentary food courtesy of Paglia Catering. They had hamburger and cheeseburger sliders, as well as hot dogs. There was also a contest to guess how many pieces of candy corn were in a bottle. The winner received a $50 gift card which was donated by Time to Cheer.

A large Halloween banner allowed guests to create fun photo ops. And a balloon maker added to the festivities.

This is the second year the event was held by DeFede, who said he does it for the children and the community. He was assisted by Jacqui McCue, broker manager at Realty Executives; and Jenn Daly, CrossCountry Mortgage manager. Other Realty executives there were Christina Ryes and Judith Frankovic.

McCue estimated that the number of people who showed was double from last year, which was 300 according to DeFede. But last year it was raining. This year, the weather was perfect, inspiring people to go out and enjoy.

Scott Picerno and his wife Kinga are new residents to Nutley and were there with their children Amelia and Gabriella.

“It’s well organized for kids,” Kinga said. “Just the right size, not too big.”

Darius Watson of South Brunswick was there with his kids Lucas, 8, and Karter who is 19-months old. He said, “I love that everyone is having a good time. People are very friendly and the costumes are fantastic.”

Scott Shubsda, of Nutley, who was with his 8-year-old daughter Madison, agreed with the others that the event was “great for kids.”