RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As the Hedingham community marks a year since the tragic mass shooting that killed 5 people, the is community coming together under happier circumstances for an evening of family fun.
Hundreds of kids and their parents gathered for a Trunk or Treat event - getting to meet their neighbors in cars decked out from Shrek to Pokemon and Barbie.
It's the kind of childhood memories that mean even more for a community that knows firsthand just how precious life can be.
"It's really hard... I think our community is a good one and...we will pull together and we are a strong community and events like this pull us closer together," said Rob Perry.
Perry took his daughter Zora out for her first Halloween dressed as an astronaut.
All the excitement and colorful costumes got an assist from first responders. From police horses and motorcycles to Fire Engine 21, it was just as important to them to be in Hedingham under many different circumstances.
"Most of our calls we're coming at peoples' worst moments and this is an opportunity for us to celebrate with the community and be with them during a fun time," said Jamie Cheveralls from the Raleigh Fire Department.
A fun time that might become a new tradition of its own.
"It's just one of those things where we take every day as it comes and continue to move forward," Perry said.