Halloween 'really intense' on Asheville's Vermont Ave.

Fred Duyck has lived in West Asheville all his life, but even he doesn't know why Vermont Avenue became the trick-or-treating center it is today. On Halloween, thousands of children in costume will swarm the neighborhood in search of candy, camaraderie, creepy decor and community fun.

Back when Duyck was growing up in the neighborhood, most people went to the Malvern Hills area on Halloween. Vermont, although close to West Asheville's commercial district, was an average boulevard.

"You'd have some trick-or-treaters, but it wasn't anything big like it is now," Duyck said. "It all happened all at once."

Duyck said an influx of young families in the early 2000s led to the street's current Halloween glory. But no one planned it that way.

Karen Ostergaard, who has lived on Vermont Avenue for the past six years, said that although most of the neighborhood enjoys the spectacle that unfolds on Halloween night, they don't invite it. It's more like a sugar-hungry, polyester-clad, pumpkin-toting tidal wave that comes for them every year on October 31 — incredible to behold but not without drawbacks.

"It is a really intense night, and it can be a burden, and I know that some residents on the street, they kind of dread it," she said. "They want to do it and help it be successful, but trying to prepare for that many kids — it can just be a lot of work. It's never been our intention to make this an event. We don't advertise it as an event."

Regardless of the neighborhood's intent, Halloween on Vermont Avenue has become a tradition for some families. Trick-or-treaters have returned every year. In order to keep the street safe, Ostergaard and her neighbors have organized a road closure since 2013. With so many kids, through traffic became too dangerous.

"The purpose of the event is to create a safe trick-or-treating environment," said Jon Fillman, with the City of Asheville. "Karen (Ostergaard) has worked with our office to adequately meet city requirements each year."

Those requirements involve notifying everyone who lives on a closed road about the event and getting signatures of approval from 60 percent of them.

"The majority is on board," Ostergaard said. "Even people who don't give out candy, like our neighbors (they usually choose to turn off the lights), they approve of it. They buy candy and donate it."

Everyone pitches in to buy candy, even people who don't live in the neighborhood. Last year, Ostergaard handed out more than 2,000 pieces of candy at her home. She tries to buy the treats in bulk to save money, but that much candy doesn't come cheap.

On Amazon, a 760-count bag of humble Tootsie Roll Midgees costs about $16. Ostergaard will need four of those for a grand total of $64 worth of candy.

And for a flashier variety, she'd have to spend more. A box of 100 Blow Pops costs $20 on Amazon. A Blow Pop for every kid who comes to her house would cost around $400.

There are about 70 houses on Vermont Avenue, and if each one spends $64-$400 on candy, that adds up to $4,480-$28,000 for the neighborhood to host the event, not including the fees the residents pay to the city for the road closure and the cost of renting barricades. (This year, Asheivlle Mardi Gras will donate the barricades for free.)

Luckily, the entire city rallies to donate the treats. Nearby businesses serve as candy drop-off points, including Sunny Point Cafe, the Brew Pump, The Hop West, West End Bakery and Tastee Diner. The organizers also set up a website to share the details of the street closures and host a donation button and volunteer sign-up page.

The neighborhood needs about 24 volunteers to staff the six barricades that close the streets and additional hands to distribute candy and clean up after the trick-or-treating ends at 9 p.m.

This year's festivities will require more volunteers than ever before since Westgate Road, which parallels Vermont Avenue, will also be closed. The neighborhood encourages visitors to arrive by foot, bike or bus because parking in the area is very limited.

Despite the hard work involved, most of the neighborhood embraces Halloween night. Weeks before the event, yards are already strewn with fake spiderwebs, skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, black cats and other kooky and creepy accents. When the big day arrives, some neighbors will set up movie screens and games; others will dress up to spook the kids. It's a wholesome evening, Ostergaard said, and most people save the adult partying for Haywood Road (as they should, she added).

"It's so fun to see the kids who are just in awe of the spectacle of seeing hundreds of people in costume all around them and the decorations," she said. "It's pretty cool."

IF YOU GO

Halloween on Vermont Avenue is not an official event, nor does it have an official organizer. It's a homegrown Halloween phenomenon, and the people who live on the street ask visitors to help keep the evening safe and low-key.

Trick-or-treating takes place from 5:30-9 p.m. Oct. 31 or until the candy runs out, which will probably happen before 9 p.m.

Vermont Avenue, Westgate Road and portions of Olney Road and Vance Crescent will be closed to through traffic during the event. For details and information about how to donate, volunteer or get involved at an Oct. 25 community potluck, visit vermontavehalloween.com.