Oswego village, park district officials continue to plan for a safe Halloween amid pandemic

Village of Oswego staff is working on ways Halloween can be observed safely in the village this fall, despite concerns over the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's almost Halloween season, so we are planning how we're going to handle Halloween and the trick-or-treating and things like that," Village President Troy Parlier told the village board during its Sept. 15 meeting. "But planning is underway to definitely have Halloween in Oswego."

The Centers for Disease Control recently released guidelines for celebrating Halloween safely that included low, medium, and high-risk activities.

Low risk activities include: Carving or decorating pumpkins to display, decorating a living space, holding a scavenger hunt, a virtual costume contest or a Halloween movie marathon. Medium risk activities include: one-way trick-or-treating with individually-wrapped goodie bags to grab and go, a small open-air costume parade, participating in a haunted forest, or visiting outdoor pumpkin patches or orchards.

The CDC has deemed high-risk activities to include: Traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, trunk-or-treat gatherings, large indoor parties, indoor haunted houses, participating in hayrides or tractor rides with people not in your household, or traveling from a community with a high spread of COVID-19.

The CDC has also stated that a Halloween costume mask is "not a substitute for a cloth face mask." The organization has also advised costume-wearers to forgo wearing a cloth mask on top of a costume mask, suggesting "Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask."

"Halloween is still over a month away and we will continue to take into account guidance from the CDC and the State prior to releasing our recommendations well in advance of the holiday," Oswego Village Administrator Daniel Di Santo said after the guidelines were announced.

As communities determine safe protocols for celebrating Halloween, several community events have been announced for the season.

While the annual Montgomery Police Department Halloween Safety Event has been canceled, the Oswegoland Park District is still planning to host a COVID-safe Monster Mash Bash in October.

The bash, an annual Halloween party for younger area children, will be Oct. 24, but will become the "Not-At-All-Haunted House," an immersive event at the Oswegoland Civic Center, 5 Ashlawn Ave., Oswego, to best manage crowds.

This year's bash will be a walk-through event with "Immersive experiences, entertainers, and plenty of fun photo ops." The penny carnival games will not be featured this year, but children will be able to wear their costumes, meet performers and have their pictures taken.

The park district has also confirmed that the bash will open up later in the day, for teenage participants. Registration is $5 in advance, and $8 the day of the bash. Adult admission is free.

On Sept. 23, the park district also announced a drive-thru trick-or-treat event to be held Oct. 31 at Prairie Point Park.