Already Thinking About Candy Overload? Make Plans to Attend the Free (and Fun) Great Candy Exchange!

Halloween isn't over in St. Louis until you take your kids to The Great Candy Exchange! Sponsored by the Delta Dental Health Theatre, The Great Candy Exchange is a free event where kids get one more chance to wear their costumes, win great prizes, have their face painted, enjoy balloon artists and live shows, and pop into the photo booth for a great, take-home souvenir in their costumes.

The Great Candy Exchange will be held Sunday, Nov. 2 at Vetta Sports Mid-County in Webster Groves. Kids can turn in unopened Halloween candy in exchange for chances to win a variety of great prizes that encourage healthy habits and active play (including an Xbox 360 Kinect.). There will also be unlilmited bounce time on Vetta's four different inflatables!

Each pound of candy your child turns in is worth one raffle ticket. Individuals can increase their chances in the prize drawings by bringing new, unopened, child-sized socks, underwear and personal hygiene items to donate to the Little Bit Foundation, which helps meet the

basic needs of children in our community

Schools, clubs, organizations and teams can get involved too. Special prizes will be given to the groups with the most event attendees and that turn in the most candy. The Theatre aims to gather 1,500 pounds of candy that otherwise would be consumed by trick-or-treaters.

"Each year this event keeps get bigger and bigger," said Shannon Woodcock, evecutive director of the Delta Dental Health Theatre. "More and more people are catchign on to the fact that this is a fun way to get rid of mounds of candy that seemingly sits around the house for months, tempting families to consume it all." This event extends the Halloween celebration while underscoring a variety of healthy life habits like taking care of your teeth, eating well and getting 60 minutes of active play each day."

Admission is free. 2 to 6 p.m. at Vetta Sports Soccerdome (Mid-County), 220 East Avenue in Webster Groves. For more information, call 314-241-7391, or go to www.ddhtstl.org. Classrooms, clubs, organizations and teams can get involved too. Special prizes will be given to the groups with the most event attendees and that collect the most candy. Schools can get involved by serving as a candy collection site. The school that collects the most candy will win a free show for the entire school.

All candy collected, along with toothbrushes, will be sent to our troops. Sponsors of the event at the Delta Dental Health Theatre, Delta Dental of Missouri, Pediatric Dentistry of Sunset Hills, The St. Louis District Dairy Council, STL Parent and Watson Pointe Dental-Dr. Joseph S. Grimaud.

You can also learn more at the theatre's Facebook page, or follow them on twitter at @YoucanToucan