By Mary Richardson

The annual “Coats for Kids” drive will combine with a party when The Kiwanis Club of Lake Charles hosts Spooktacular on Friday, Oct. 28. The family-friendly Halloween party will take place from 5-9 p.m. at Crying Eagle Brewing, 1165 E. McNeese St.

The event is free. If people donate a coat of any size at Spooktacular, they will receive a free Spooktacular glass, a drink token and a raffle ticket for door prizes.

Halloween-themed family-friendly activities will entertain from 5-6:30 p.m., and live music by CRY BABY will begin at 6:30 p.m. Crying Eagle will offer craft beers and food from The Bistro. Other activities will include a 50/50 split the pot and a silent auction.

The silent auction will be larger than usual this year, according to Jim Meyer, co-chair of the event along with LaDonna McKnight, and will feature a signed guitar from Nashville recording artist Gyth Ridgon. Vintage furniture and paintings have been added along with popular items such as the L’auberge Getaway Package, an airplane discovery flight, and gift certificates to area restaurants.

Major sponsors this year are Fuerst Carrier Ogden & Beasley, Lee Hoffoss Injury Lawyers, and Lotte Chemical. All proceeds from Spooktacular will benefit local charities. Last year, Spooktacular raised a record $17,000 for 10 organizations. The organizations that will benefit this year are Abraham’s Tent, Boys Village, ETC Harbour House, Care Help of Sulphur, CARC, CPSB McKinney-Vento Assistance to Homeless Children, DeWanna’s Closet, Oasis Women’s Shelter, Potters House, and The Lord’s Place.

The collection of coats has been going on for 34 years, but Spooktacular is only in its sixth year. It began when members of the Kiwanis Club were looking to further engage the community by supporting local organizations that serve people who are homeless, hungry, or in need of other types of assistance.

To meet this goal, the club founded the Lake Charles Kiwanis Charitable Fund with the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana
so that donations would be tax deductible. In their first year, Crying Eagle Brewing stepped up to co-host Spooktacular.  Except for a hiatus due to Covid, the event has grown every year.

The heart of the project is the collections of coats. In earlier years, the club concentrated on collecting children’s coats, but now coats of any size are accepted because the club wants to provide warmth to both adults and children. Last year, Coats for Kids collected more than 2,500 coats, which were all cleaned free of charge by Runte Lake Cleaners, co-sponsor of Coats for Kids, and distributed through charitable organizations.

In addition to Spooktacular, coats are collected in big boxes that have been placed in 30 locations throughout Calcasieu Parish from Oct. 17. The boxes will be picked up on Nov. 18.

The motto of the Kiwanis Club of Lake Charles is to “improve the world, one child and one community at a time.” “We want everyone to come out to Spooktacular, donate a coat, and help us make our motto come true,” Meyer said.

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‘COATS FOR KIDS’ DROP BOX LOCATIONS

High Schools: Barbe, LaGrange, St. Louis, Episcopal Day, Sulphur, Iowa, Sam Houston and Grand Lake.

Middle Schools: S.J. Welsh, Oak Park, Our Lady of Heaven.

Elementary Schools: Moss Bluff, Prien Lake, Dolby, St. John’s, Henry Heights, Episcopal Day School, Immaculate Conception, Our Lady Queen of Heaven, St. Margaret’s and Nelson.

Libraries: Calcasieu Parish Central Library at 301 W Claude St., and Sulphur Regional Library at 1160 Cypress St.

Businesses: Runte Lake Cleaners at 2605 Ryan St, Black Tie Cleaners at 106 Broad St., Mid-City Cleaners at 3203 Ryan St., Munro’s Cleaners at 4031 Nelson Rd., Crying Eagle Brewing Company at 1165 E. McNeese St., Petro Bowl at 630 Petro Point Dr., Luna Bar & Grill at 719 Ryan St., S&M Family Outlet at 3622 Ryan St., and Mitch Hollier – State Farm Insurance at 910 Sampson St. in Westlake.

Also: Three local industries are conducting internal coat collection drives with their employees: Energy Transfer, Sasol North America, and Lotte Chemical.