What is your prediction of the impact of the pandemic on Halloween 2020 in your area?
Some very large and very small Haunted Attractions have already announced that they will not open for the 2020 season. What do you expect the impact will be on Trick or Treating, home decoration, Halloween parties and other holiday events, especially where you live?
Answers ( 2 )
I live in south-southeastern Arizona near a little dinky town of 40K or so (that's with the assigned soldiers from Ft Huachuca) and in the past twelve years, I have never seen or heard of what I would consider a 'robust' Halloween with masses of trick-or-treaters in groups trailed by parents, tripping along sidewalks as older kids lope on by trying to get the most candy ever. It just has never happened.
Instead, a church or two will have a "Fall Festival", usually not actually on Halloween, but close enough that those children whose parents prefer to not encourage trick-or-treating and see it as something unwholesome- or who cynically want to replay their own childhood by getting the offspring the most candy ever- have a way to insure their children are not left out of the delights of All Hallows Eve. Then, some neighborhoods or schools- especially the private or charter schools- will host a Trunk-or-Treat, which is yet another way for your kid to get candy, and parents don't have to actually, like, do the whole "Stop running ahead! Don't push! Skyler! I said don't push! If you don't stop pushing people we are going home and I am taking all your candy! Alyssa! Your princess skirt is dragging in the mud! Skyler! Skyler!--" und so weiter, until the parent is fairly certain an entire bottle of something alcoholic is theirs as soon as they get home. And they are never doing this again. Because Trunk or Treats are considered safer, as if, by confining the space for the children, that somehow means whatever it is parents fear** might not happen any longer as the space in which to happen is so much smaller.
There is a local Facebook page for the town, and each year a new Resident hopefully posts to ask how much candy they should get because this is their favorite holiday of the year and they can't wait to see all the little kiddies-- and the other parents are quick to dissuade them: "Last year, I only had two come up- and I live in Sherwood!" (a neighborhood with lots of young families) or "Just get a bag or two, and make sure it is something you like so you can eat the leftovers yourself!" or "We're going to SomeChurchOrOther for their Fall Festival!" or- worst, in my opinion- "You shouldn't let your children participate in that Satanic activity!"
There's always one.
The Community College has utilized one of their in-town buildings and built a haunted house for the past few years- it is advertised as 10 years and older, only. There's a newer place with laser tag and indoor mini-golf that sponsors a haunted house, as do the Elks, I think it is. Good way to raise some cash through "donations" while scaring the whee out of kids- teaches them to never trust adults, anyway.
I can't imagine much is going to change.
The churches and other "Fall Festival" killjoys will figure out a way to socially distance, but if school is going in-person by then (our county is, but only 2 days a week for those students who opt in) I cannot see how socially distancing kids is going to make much difference- or even be possible. Haunted houses, I heard on some radio talk show or other, were likely right out because of lack of ventilation. Fine- Build it outside, and use straw bales and sheets draped over engineered clothesline- the point is to provide little kiddies a valuable lesson, which is: "Sometimes there really is a boogeyman- but it's usually just someone trying to scare you into believing something that isn't true." (Good lesson for our current political atmosphere here in the US).
Trunk-or-Treats will be the big thing here: Outside, the smaller space will make it seem safer, just like always, and lots of adults right close by to see to it no one snatches anyone's kid to sell to Hillary or Bill Gates or George Soros. This is a red state- those names are real boogeymen to my fellow county Residents. (Wonder if some parent is going to put a big foamboard Q on their kid? Wouldn't be at all surprised).
So, maybe some small shifts- no real running up and down streets door to door, but lots of Trunk-or-Treating. Rather like Curbside Pick-up grocery shopping, eh? Fits with the times.
**Turns out, "poisoned candy" is an urban myth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoned_candy_myths
We live in a very dense suburban neighborhood. Houses are nice, but within about 50 feet of each other. Trick or treating is always super busy for us. Last year, we went through about 2 huge bowls of candy over the course of the night.
That said, I think we're going do costumes for our two little ones, probably walk them around to do trick or treating, and hopefully collect candy along the way. In all likelihood, what we would do is to take the candy and set it aside for several days. I think surface contact data for Covid is still coming out, and less and less considered to be a major risk. But we'll play it safe. If the rest of the neighborhood doesn't trick or treat, then we'll just have our own trick or treat party, like a scavenger hunt. Maybe we'll place candy all over the neighborhood and park and have a little treasure hunt to find it.