By: Leslee DeRossett
Many families have been forced to stray from normal holiday traditions due to the coronavirus pandemic. Travel plans were forced to be cancelled for Easter and outside gatherings were limited during the Fourth of July which meant that many Americans stayed home instead of heading out to see local fireworks.
Americans are now encroaching on Halloween and again, COVID has forced many families to decide what traditions they will continue on Halloween night. Jackson and most surrounding counties are still allowing traditional trick-or-treating along with local churches and other organizations holding trunk-or-treats at numerous locations.
If you are interested in your communities trick-or-treating hours, looking for alternative activities, or you would like to participate in handing candy out at a trunk-or-treat location, check out these links to events scheduled in Jackson, and the surrounding areas, for the weekend of October 31, 2020.
Hillsdale Halloween Activities
For those that do plan to celebrate Halloween in their communities, below are some of the precautions suggested from the City of Jackson webpage to keep our communities safe.
FOR TRICK-OR-TREATERS AND PARENTS:
- Stay home if you are sick.
- Maintain social distancing of at least six feet.
- Wear a cloth mask that covers both the mouth and nose. A costume mask does not provide adequate protection.
- Wash hands frequently or use hand sanitizer while trick-or-treating.
FOR RESIDENTS:
- If you intend to hand out treats, turn your porch light on as a sign of welcome. If you don’t wish to participate, turn off your porch light or exterior lighting.
- Mark six-foot lines on your front sidewalk or driveway so trick-or-treaters know to social distance as they wait for candy.
- Position a distribution table between yourself and trick-or-treaters to maintain distance.
- Leave treats on a table outside your home where trick-or-treaters can pick them up.
- Consider handing out treats in an open space where distancing is possible, rather than a front door.
For even more information on ways to keep safe and healthy on Halloween, check out the MDDHS webpage.
While trick-or-treating is still on the agenda for some families, there are other families that are straying from this tradition to limit their exposure to the public. One them is Kelly of Somerset Center, “We usually get together with our neighbors and take the kids by vehicle around the lake. But this year we have invited close friends and family to our house for a cookout followed by a bonfire. Everyone is welcome to dress up, but it is not required. We did ask that all adults bring a bag or two of candy so we can scatter it around the yard for the kids to find. It’s going to be like an Easter egg hunt, only without the eggs and with Halloween candy.”
Tera, of Devils Lake, has also chosen to stray from the traditional trick-or-treating, “It has been really hard to get into the Halloween spirit this year. My girls are always so excited to buy costumes so we are doing that this weekend. We have family that lives close so there are around 8 houses that my kids will be trick-or-treating at this year, ending in dinner at my parent’s house. I’m sure we will be able to keep our night busy, I am just ready for everything to get back to normal.”
Whether you are planning to to keep with the traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, participating in a trunk-or-treat, or, or holding a small gathering at your house, we can all agree that Halloween 2020 is still about the children and everyone is committed to making it a memorable one.
