The Town of Brattleboro Recreation and Parks Department in collaboration with the Brooks Memorial Library is excited to announce we will be hosting drive-thru Trick-or-Treating at the Municipal Center Parking Lot. This event will be held on Saturday October 31ST between 4:00 – 6:00 PM. We ask all ghouls and goblins to enter the Municipal Center Parking Lot from the Grove Street entrance. There will be a walk-up table for those who wish to walk vs drive. A special thanks goes out to the Brattleboro Police and Fire Departments for their assistance with the event.
If you choose not to participate in the drive-thru Halloween Event, we encourage you to follow the guidance from the CDC and The Vermont Health Department. The Town of Brattleboro’s primary concern on Halloween, and any other time, is the safety of the community. Like all other events and holidays this year, Halloween will look different due to COVID-19. With general safety and COVID-19 in mind, we would like to offer some safety tips for everyone in the community to consider before the big day. Families should consider lower risk and safe alternative activities such as carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them on your porch or decorating your house, apartment, or living space. In addition, you could do a Halloween Scavenger Hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed items to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance. Neighborhoods can also host a virtual Halloween costume contest.
Trick-or-Treaters:
- Costumes: Whether you wear scales, tails, or Rapunzel’s hair, keep costumes short to prevent trips and falls. Try using makeup instead of a mask. Masks can obstruct a child’s vision, which can be dangerous when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps. Costumes with light colors and/or reflective tape are best. Trick-or-Treaters should carry a glowsticks or flashlight for visibility. A costume mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask.
- Group Size: Children should trick-or-treat in small groups (consisting of only those who live in the same household), rather than going alone or in large groups. Adult supervision is suggested. Avoid houses where there are large groups of people on the porch or in the driveway. Remember to remain six feet or more from anyone who does not live in your household.
- Walking: Parents should select the safest route for children to take. Children should stay on sidewalks (where available) or on the shoulder of the roadway, facing traffic. Cross the street safely at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Look left, right, and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross. Children should avoid walking in the roadway, in alleys or poorly lit areas, and be cautious not to dart from behind shrubs or parked vehicles. Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, do not run, across the street.
- Where to Stop: Children should be encouraged to stop only at familiar homes and where the outside lights are on. They should not stop at houses that are dark or do not have the porch lights turned on.
- Treats: Children should not eat any treats until they get home, and a parent or an adult can examine them. Children and adults should only consume unopened candies and treats in original wrappers. Treats with open packaging or torn wrappers should be discarded. Do not forget to inspect fruit and homemade treats for anything that looks suspicious.
- Hygiene: Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently. Wear a face mask that meets CDC guidelines. Remain six feet away from others whenever possible. Avoid crowd or large group functions.
Drivers:
- Drivers should slow down and use extreme caution, especially in neighborhoods where children are sure to be located. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Be especially alert and take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
- Reduce any distractions inside your car, such as talking on the phone or eating, so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings. Please remember to put your phone down.
Those Handing out Items:
- If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 second before and after preparing the bags.
- Avoid getting within six feet of those trick-or-treating. Try to come up with a creative way to distribute treats such as slides or tubes.
- Consider setting up one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard).
Overall, we hope you all have a Spooktacular Halloween. Remember to wear a mask, remain socially distant, wash your hands, and limit your contact with high touch surfaces. For more information please contact the Recreation and Parks Department at 802-254-5808.
Sarah Clark
Assistant Director, Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department
Activities Coordinator, Brattleboro Senior Center
802-254-5808 x1303 (Recreation & Parks)
802-257-7570 (Senior Center)
