Boulder's Four Mile Creek was a Halloween hotspot Wednesday night.
Trick-or-treaters arrived by the carload from various other neighborhoods to join the local kids and take advantage of the spooky spirit embraced by area residents.
Also on hand were Tyler Matlock, organizer of the Pumpkin Patrol, and Brandon Byrd, who were among 16 volunteers who fanned out into Boulder neighborhoods to keep their eyes peeled for suspicious behavior. It was Matlock's way of easing parents' fears in the wake of the Jessica Ridgeway abduction and murder.
"I think it's great that there are some people who care about the community and are willing to give up their time to help," said Michelle Trudgeon, a Four Mile Creek resident who heard about the Pumpkin Patrol from friends in advance of Halloween. "I appreciate those guys being out here."
Matlock and Byrd, both 26, covered about 20 blocks Wednesday evening, stopping to chat with parents and some groups of older kids who were trick-or-treating without parental supervision. While they didn't encounter anyone suspicious or have to call 911 in the several hours they patrolled the neighborhood, many parents took time to thank them for their presence just the same.
Parent Sue Taddeucci had never heard of the Pumpkin Patrol when Matlock and Byrd walked by her on the street in their neon green T-shirts. When they explained what they were doing, she said, "That's awesome. Thanks, guys."
Matlock and Byrd did receive some flak while on patrol Wednesday. It was delivered by a group of middle-school-aged trick-or-treaters who said they liked the duo's matching shirts, but did not think they made good costumes.
Other Pumpkin Patrollers described similar experiences: no real problems and lots of community support.
Daniel Hecht and Kelly McFerrin patrolled the historic Mapleton Hill neighborhood for about two hours Wednesday.
Hecht, 22, said at one point a man came up to them to say he saw a suspicious figure on a darkened portion of a neighborhood street, but he and McFerrin never found the person.
Hecht, who met Matlock in a class at the University of Colorado, said he wanted to be part of the patrol to help parents and kids feel more comfortable and safe on Halloween. He said the response he received while patrolling was resoundingly positive.
While many of the patrol volunteers were friends of Matlock's from his days at CU, there were some people who saw fliers Matlock made and signed up for the patrol.
David Bray, 80, volunteered to patrol a large portion of east Boulder surrounding his home. He planned to ride his bike to cover the ground.
Gretchen Williams, 74, patrolled the Orchard Grove mobile home park where she lives in north Boulder. She said her goal was to serve as a presence, and show that Orchard Grove is a community where residents care for one another. She said she didn't see anything of concern when she was making her rounds, but encouraged the many parents she spoke with to be vigilant and call the police if anything made them feel uneasy.
"People were generally glad to see me and they were very gracious," Williams said. "Tyler has a wonderful idea and I'm really glad he's done it and I hope that we can build it into something with more neighborhood substance."
"I feel like this can be an annual thing," Matlock said after patrols had wrapped up and he had spoken to other volunteers about their experiences. "It wasn't a huge thing, but you have to start somewhere. I feel like this keeps the kids secure."