To celebrate the spirit of Halloween, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the first ever Kids Club "Trick-or-Treat Bash" Monday night.
But rather than filling the children's buckets up with only candy, volunteers on the Scout Investment Club Level at Arrowhead Stadium also offered healthier alternatives to traditional Halloween trick-or-treating.
"Arrowhead is a special place," said Bill Chapin, senior vice president of business operations, "but for kids to come here and be able to get dressed up in their costume, meet some of their favorite Chiefs players and meet KC Wolf, that's an experience like no other."
Over 1,800 members signed up for the event and were invited to take part in Play60 activities, inflatables, crafts, face painting and a dance party.
Among those making appearances were Chiefs Ambassadors, K.C. Wolf, Chiefs cheerleaders and multiple Chiefs personnel, including players and CEO and chairman Clark Hunt.
Hundreds of kids came to Arrowhead Stadium to trick or treat, meet players, dance, play games, and participate in a variety of activities for Halloween.
All were encouraged to dress in their own unique Halloween costumes for the occasion.
"My favorite part is interacting with the fans," said Chiefs defensive tackle Mike DeVito, who dressed along to the theme of the movie "Up" with his family. "I think it brings a more personal side to the game. Seeing all of the cool costumes and all of the time everybody put into getting dressed up, it was a good turnout."
The event was geared toward all youth, including those who are type 1 diabetics (T1D) or considered at-risk for type 2 diabetes fit. JDRF, a non-profit, global organization that raises awareness for type 1 diabetes research, was a special guest at the event.
Through signs and an information table, JDRF helped further their mission of accelerating "life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications" at the Trick-or-Treat Bash.
"It was a fantastic Halloween Bash all for the Kansas City Chiefs Kids Club members," Chapin added. "Many of the selected suites had either a Chiefs gift or candy that is healthy for kids to celebrate Halloween."
On top of raising awareness for a great cause, the night provided an avenue for the community to express its creativity through costumes and have a little fun with its favorite team while doing so.
"We saw some fantastic costumes whether it was Star Wars, Cinderella, all the way to Mario Brothers," Chapin said. "By the results we've seen so far, we'll have many years to come with this."
