By Sherrie Norris
While the High Country has been celebrating the arrival of fall and all its related festivities during the month of October, the coming days still offer a full slate of activities for the entire family to enjoy together.
This past weekend has seen its fair share of Halloween parties and festivals, but there’s still more on tap for the coming days.
We have discovered just a few of many possibilities that are still available in the area and are sharing the information below, so mark your calendars and plan to head out with the kids to have some fun!
- Tuesday Oct 29 6:30 – 8 p.m. Annual Trick or Treat at Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living, 287 Bamboo Road, Boone. Bring the kiddos in their costumes for the residents to enjoy.
- Halloween at the King Street Farmers Market and Galileos Party, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 4-8 p.m. Enjoy a costume contest, games, face painting, scavenger hunt and live music, as well as fresh local produce, foods and crafts. Photos will be taken of all costumed guests throughout the market; winners will be announced on social media after the market. Located at 130 Poplar Grove Connector, Boone.
- Trunk or Treat & Chili Cook-off, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 4-6 p.m. at Keller Williams High Country, 643 Greenway Rd. Ste. H-2, Boone. A fun and safe place to trick or treat. Annual fundraiser event open to the community. Trunk or Treating is free, with a suggested $5 donation for chili tasting. All proceeds go to the Watauga Humane Society.
- Boone Boo! Wednesday, Oct. 30, Boone BOO! Calling all pirates, princesses, and children of all ages! Every Halloween, the Town of Boone hosts this popular, family event in downtown Boone for kids of all ages. Inflatable bounce houses and Twist the Balloon Man on the Jones House lawn from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Spooky and silly haunted tours of the Jones House from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Arts and crafts, apple tastings and a magic show at the Watauga County Public Library beginning at 4 p.m. Trick-or-Treating with downtown merchants from 4:30 – 6:30.
- Trunk or Treat at the Historic Banner Elk School in Banner Elk Thursday, Oct. 31, 5-8 p.m.. Billed as one of the most popular family Halloween events in the High Country. Children (and adults) come dressed in costumes for a fun trick-or-treat experience from the trunks of vehicles. The festivities include a costume contest for kids, and a separate contest for four-legged friends. Be sure to check out the haunted house and hay rides. Come early for free face painting from noon to 5 p.m.
- Mall Trick or Treating, Thursday, Oct.31, 5-7 p.m. at the Boone Mall. Enjoy trick or treating at the stores in the mall. Watauga Parks and Recreation will fun games and activities in the center of the mall. ASU’s Sigmon Theatrical will be taking professional photos (for a fee) of your children dressed up.
- Trick or Treat Halloween Spooktacular Thursday, Oct 31, 5-7 p.m. at Tanger Outlet Mall in Blowing Rock. Stores will host a Monster Challenge Scavenger hunt where families find fun clues and complete a scavenger hunt card for a chance to win a $100 Tanger Shopping Spree. A variety of fun activities are planned for the family such as a costume contest, a Touch-A-Truck meet and greet with local fire and police, and even a monster mash dance off in the courtyard.
- West Jefferson Trick or Treat Oct 31, 3-5 p.m. Downtown West Jefferson
Halloween Alternatives Offered by Local Churches
Several churches have already hosted their Halloween alternatives through a variety of festivals and events, but the following are scheduled for this week, so make sure you get in on all the fun while you still can:
- Willowdale Baptist Church, 133 Westside Dr. Vilas, will host a Trunk or Treat on Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 6 – 8 p.m.
- Brushy Fork Baptist Church at 3915 US-421 in Vilas will have a Fall Festival with Trunk or Treat, dinner, bounce house, games and more on Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Mount Vernon Baptist Church, located at 3505 Bamboo Rd. in Boone will host its Country Fall Fair, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Food, games and lots of fun.
- First Baptist Church of Boone, 375 W. King St., is hosting a Fall Festival on Wednesday, Oct. 30 from 5: 00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Candy, prizes, games, fun and a hot dog supper. Enter through the chapel doors and spend some time being treated, in conjunction with Boone Boo.
- Trick or Treat at Boooo-ne Boone United Methodist Church, 471 New Market Blvd, Boone, Wednesday Oct. 30, 5 – 7 p.m.
- Trunk or Treat Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6-8 p.m. Cornerstone Summit Church, 1100 East King St, Boone.
- Trunk or Treat at the Creek. Thursday, October 31, 6- 7:30 p.m. Howard’s Creek Baptist Church, 240 Howards’ Creek Rd. in Boone. Free hot dog supper while supply lasts.
National Fire Proection Association Offers Safety Tips for Halloween
It’s time again for the creepy decorations, falling leaves, endless costumes, and lit Jack-o-lanterns. As families across the country begin to prepare for what has become an increasingly popular holiday, the National Fire Protection Association is reminding everyone to take a few simple safety precautions in order to ensure a fun, safe, and not too scary Halloween.
Children dressed in costumes excitedly running door to door to trick-or-treat, festive decorations like glowing jack-o-lanterns, paper ghosts and dried cornstalks adorning front porches are among the classic hallmarks of Halloween that make the holiday special for kids and adults alike.
Unfortunately, these Halloween symbols and activities can also present lurking fire risks that have the potential to become truly scary.
Statistics indicate that decorations are the first thing to ignite in about 800 reported home fires each year. More than one-third of these fires were started by a candle.
By planning ahead, however, you can help make this Halloween a fire-safe one. Taking simple fire safety precautions, like keeping decorations far away from open flames and using battery-operated candles or glow-sticks in jack-o-lanterns can help ensure your holiday remains festive and fun.
NFPA offers the following safety tips to help keep horror from striking your home this season:
- When choosing a costume, stay away from billowing or long, trailing fabric. If you are making your own costume, choose material that won’t easily ignite if it comes into contact with heat or flame. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.
- Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costumes
- Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs and heaters.
- It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candles in a Jack-o-lantern. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside Jack-o-lanterns, use long fireplace-style matches or a utility lighter.
- Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far enough out of the way of trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, walkways and yards.
- If you choose to use candle decorations, make sure to keep them well attended at all times.
- Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes.
- Tell children to stay away from open flames. Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. (Have them practice stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with hands, and rolling over and over to put the flames out.)
- Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards. They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.
- If your children are going to Halloween parties at others’ homes, have them look for ways out of the home and plan how they would get out in an emergency.
- Children should always go trick-or-treating with a responsible adult.
- Remind children to stay together as a group and walk from house to house.
- Review how to cross a street with your child. Look left, right and left again to be sure no cars are approaching before crossing the street.
- Make a rule that children will not eat any treat until it has been brought home and examined by a grown-up.
About the National Fire Protection Association
NFPA is a worldwide leader in fire, electrical, building and life safety. The mission of the international nonprofit organization founded in 1896 is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. Visit NFPA’s website at www.nfpa.org for more information.