Alternative Halloween activities need not be scary from a health perspective amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Such is the view of Flintwood Wesleyan Church’s Jeannette Buzzard, who labels herself the “Halloween queen” of Flintwood’s annual Trunk or Treat event open to all youngsters and their families, rain or shine, from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. The free gathering attracted more than 1,200 children and their parents last year over several hours.
This year’s event will be different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Visitors will receive candy and treats in prepackaged, sealed bags in a drive-thru format, rather than having children have treats placed in their bags as in the past, according to organizers.
All attendees will each get a hot dog, chips and bottle of water in a sealed bag — and a chance to get out of the car for a quick and distanced photo opportunity in front of Halloween backdrops.
“The main reason for this is just simple community outreach,” Buzzard said. “And we’re also hoping to keep things as normal for the young kids as possible.”
She added that the church sees quite a number of families return to the church for its Wednesday evening children’s programs.
Similar outreaches remain popular at other churches too.
Petersville United Methodist Church’s Teresa Covert has organized a tweaked Trunk or Treat event open to all youngsters and their families Oct. 31. She and others originally struggled with whether or not the church should carry on with the event that attracted about 100 children and parents combined last year over 90 minutes time.
It has been held for nearly a decade, she said.
“We tossed ideas around maybe 20 different ways of doing it,” Covert said.
The final decision is that gloved volunteers will prepare identical, individual, sealed bags of wrapped candy for children that they will select themselves from the trunks of vehicles socially distanced in the Petersville parking lot at 2781 N. County Road 500E. All distanced volunteers will be masked.
“And we’ll be out in the open air,” Covert said. “We figured all this would be a way to keep things safe.”
The church’s leaders have hardly been ones to push against cancellations. It’s annual turkey supper in November already has been canceled for the first time in its half-century existence.
“If the state leaders were to come out and say that churches should not at all do this (Trunk or Treat), we definitely would back off,” Covert said.
Late last month, state leaders said only that they felt that the traditional manner of Trunk or Treats with candy being placed into children’s trick-or-treat containers would be a high-risk format for health problems, according to media reports.
Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box added that individuals who have COVID-19, have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, or have COVID-19 symptoms, should not participate in any Halloween festivities. She also said she felt that the safest Halloween activities were family gatherings in residents’ own homes or virtual costume contests and the like.
An estimated 200 to 250 youngsters attended First Baptist Church’s annual Trunk or Treat last year, according to Keith Arbuckle, co-chair with wife Teresa Arbuckle of this year’s masked-and-distanced event planned Oct. 31 with maybe 15 vehicles in the church’s parking lot at 3300 Fairlawn Drive in Columbus.
“I think most (visitors) are non-members from the neighborhood,” Keith Arbuckle said. “I would say that’s the bulk, because we have a really good relationship with Richards Elementary School (across the street).”
He mentioned that church leaders felt the event still could be safely held while allowing parents to make their own decision about comfort level and safety.
“And I respect everyone’s personal perspective and decision,” Keith Arbuckle said.
A few of the Trunk or Treats
- Flintwood Wesleyan Church, 5300 E. 25th St. in Columbus, 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.
- Petersville United Methodist Church, 2781 N. County Road 500E in Petersville, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31.
- First Baptist Church, 3300 Fairlawn Drive in Columbus, 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31.
- 500 North Church, 500 N. Clay St. in Edinburgh, drive-through from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.
