The Walton family’s annual tradition of handing out 2L pop bottles to trick-or-treaters nearly came to an end this year due to high costs. Circle K and Skip the Dishes worked together to keep 2 litre pops, and more, in the Auburn Bay community for Halloween.
Shane and Stacy Walton have been handing out the family-sized treats for 11 years, and planned to put an end to it this year due to rising costs.
It’s a tradition that started in 2013 when Shane bought 12 bottles as a sort-of prank. “For him, it was just funny to see the trick played on the adults who are having to carry around this pop bottle, and why the heck would we give that to a kid, right?” Stacy said in a 2023 interview.
The Walton family effort was previously completely self-funded — they’ve traditionally ordered in bulk from Real Canadian Superstore, though last year The Coca-Cola Company delivered the bottles to a family friend’s restaurant. It took five trips — three in a large truck, two in a minivan — to get it back to their house at Autumn Circle in the southeast Calgary community of Auburn Bay.
In 2023, Stacy told a Postmedia reporter that the tradition would be ending. The family would spend the year leading up to Halloween saving, though rising popularity on social media app TikTok meant more people visiting each year. The family went through 2000 bottles of soda last year.
Shane and Stacy’s daughter, April, posts videos the family’s Halloween adventures on her TikTok page, with one video of Shane sending 2 litre soda bottles down a ramp, into the arms of trick-or-treaters, receiving over 30 million views.
Earlier this year, April posted a video saying she has been “trying for years” to get a sponsorship from Coke or Pepsi to support the Halloween giveaway. Circle K Canada responded to requests and funded the sodas for the family. This year, the family was stocked up with more than 2000 sodas, as well as family-sized bags of chips.
The Walton family’s online presence attracted additional sponsorships from Skip the Dishes and A&W Canada. A&W provided bottles of root beer for the family, and Skip the Dishes helped with labour.
Additionally, the family secured online paid content partnerships with the organizations.
The event was more than just treat giveaways, with Calgary’s AMP radio station on-scene doing a Taylor Swift concert ticket giveaway.
The Walton family also used the publicity to procure donations for the veterans’ food bank.
Shane said another local used to take care of it but he has since passed.
“We want to carry on that honour,” he said.
— With files from Matt Scace