halloween

Trick-or-treaters who traveled to the Countryside subdivision were met with more than just candy. Louisa resident Josh Chaput was handing out hot dogs, a tradition that started in 2022 when he learned how big of a deal Halloween was in their neighborhood. “We knew everyone was going to get plenty of candy,” Chaput said. “But as parents of two small kids, we knew that we were always walking around, hungry, missing dinner and oftentimes cold. 2022 was our first year and we’ve done it every year since.” This year, Chaput had five helpers who cooked, bunned, wrapped in foil, and handed out around 680 hot dogs before they ran out at the two-and-a-half hour mark. In 2022, he handed out 300 hot dogs. His goal for 2027 is to hand out 1,000 hot dogs, with an ultimate goal to have the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile attend an event in Louisa. “[Through doing this], we realized how much the Louisa community leans on one another,” Chaput said. “It’s a great feeling to provide that surprise to people. [A hotdog] has utility and a novelty to it — it’s a ton of fun. Every year we have a good mix of people who are surprised by it and blown away and people who are like, ‘we remember you from last year and came here before you ran out!’”