COVID & Halloween: Downtown LG Events Go Virtual
The start of October marks the countdown to Halloween and the fun activities, events, and celebrations everyone looks forward to. However, will Halloween this year be a trick or a treat as the CDC puts out their guidelines on how we should celebrate Halloween?
The CDC has listed the guidelines from lower risk activities, moderate risk activities, and higher risk activities. The lower risk activities range from carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them to having a scavenger hunt-style trick or treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house. The moderate risk activities range from participating in one-way trick or treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard to visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples. The higher risk activities range from participating in traditional trick or treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door to going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming.
These CDC guidelines have affected the annual La Grange Main Street Trick-or-Treat on the Square event which was supposed to be held on Friday, Oct. 30, but now it will be held virtual. “We will be hosting a number of virtual activities during the month of October. These will include a Halloween Costume Contest, Downtown Window Decorating Contest, Spooky Story Telling, and Pumpkin Carving Contest. Also, be sure to complete our Halloween scavenger hunt for your chance to win a prize,” said Director of Community Development & Tourism Stacey Norris. These virtual activities will be handled through La Grange Main Street’s social media platforms. If you have any questions or would like more information regarding these virtual Halloween activities, please call (979) 968-3017 or visit www.VisitLaGrangeTX. com.
However other counties surrounding Fayette County like Bastrop County are continuing with certain town events. For example, the Smithville Chamber of Commerce will still be having their Halloween SPOOKTACULAR event in downtown Smithville. At the event, there will be candy at participating merchant shops, ghost tours, and a haunted house.
Along with following the CDC guidelines, Chief of Emergency Management Craig Moreau suggests individuals should treat Halloween like any other day during this pandemic. “People need to assess the risks because going to a stranger’s house right now doesn’t make any sense. People need to use common sense and think about their own families,” said Moreau. “However if you do decide to go out on Halloween there is no excuse that day not to wear a mask,” added Moreau.
A hot spot for trick or treating every year in La Grange is in the Lynnwood community. A resident of Lynnwood Myra DelaRosa has no concerns about her children’s safety to go trick or treating or about handing out candy on Halloween. “I think Halloween can still be celebrated in a safe way. If kids wear masks to school to learn then they can wear masks to have fun. Trick or treating is some normalcy for all kids. It is one night for them to forget about COVID and be a kid,” said DelaRosa.