{"id":444022,"date":"2026-11-01T04:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-01T04:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/444022\/"},"modified":"2026-11-01T04:54:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-01T04:54:14","slug":"south-tampa-goes-all-out-for-halloween-with-tricks-treats-and-a-neighborhood-fundraiser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/444022\/","title":{"rendered":"South Tampa goes all out for Halloween with tricks, treats and a neighborhood fundraiser"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Halloween \"Halloween Halloween fun in South Tampa <\/a> <\/p>\n

Halloween festivities mixed with a fundraiser for injured children in South Tampa. FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis has the story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TAMPA, Fla – With Halloween falling on a Saturday for the first time since 2020, South Tampa neighborhoods made the most of the weekend. From trick-or-treating with a twist to elaborate decorations and a fundraiser for children recovering from burn injuries, residents turned the holiday into a celebration of community.<\/p>\n

South Tampa Halloween traditions <\/p>\n

The backstory:<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

On West Tacon Street, Elizabeth Hudson gave trick-or-treaters a chance to earn a bigger candy bar by telling a joke or showing off a talent.<\/p>\n

Some kids came prepared with jokes, while others took on Hudson in a game of hopscotch. Those who impressed her could also pick a prize from her prize wall.<\/p>\n

Hudson said she keeps the tradition going because the neighborhood enjoys it, but especially for her grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Bubba’s Buddies burn fundraiser <\/p>\n

Giving back:<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

On West Santiago Street, the Freese family combined Halloween festivities with a fundraiser for burn survivor camps.<\/p>\n

Jacob Freese and his wife were both burned in a 2016 grill accident. Since then, they’ve worked to raise money for camps that give children who have experienced burn injuries a chance to connect with others who understand what they’ve been through.<\/p>\n

Last year, the family raised more than $5,200 to send two children to Camp Hopet\u00e1ke<\/p>\n

This year, after establishing their own nonprofit, Bubba’s Buddies, they’re hoping to raise even more.<\/p>\n

Freese said the camps help young burn survivors build relationships and grow alongside children who have faced similar experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Historic West Rogers display <\/p>\n

A neighborhood tradition:<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

On West Rogers Avenue, Steve Odell has been collecting Halloween decorations for 40 years.<\/p>\n

His display includes everything from inflatable decorations and headstones to a handmade fire pit. Odell said he enjoys watching children and their parents arrive to take in the display.<\/p>\n

He says the collection gets bigger every year and finding room for everything is becoming more challenging.<\/p>\n

Holiday schedule and expansion <\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

Odell plans to keep his Halloween decorations up through Sunday night. He says he goes even bigger for Christmas.<\/p>\n

The Source: FOX 13 reporting from South Tampa, including interviews with Elizabeth Hudson, Jacob Freese and Steve Odell about their Halloween traditions and community efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hillsborough County<\/a>Holidays<\/a>South Tampa<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Halloween fun in South Tampa Halloween festivities mixed with a fundraiser for injured children in South Tampa. FOX…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[47,629,1186,115,585,202,204,203,199,201,200,135,628],"class_list":["post-444022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-fl","tag-hillsborough","tag-holidays","tag-news","tag-south-tampa","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-tampa","tag-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}