Downtown Morgan Hill holds an annual “Safe Trick or Treat Night” that has grown into one of the most popular Halloween events in the South Valley. Several blocks of Monterey Street are closed-off to vehicle traffic, and downtown merchants and other groups come out to give candy to about 3,000 youngsters guided by their parents. MHAT-19’s volunteers will be part of the Halloween sweet treat give-away on Oct. 31. If you happen to be there, please stop by and say “Boo!” to our crew.
This year, the downtown tradition brings something brand new. The Kiwanis of Morgan Hill have spent months preparing its community volunteers to bring the night alive with special “Night at Kiwanis Pirate Cove!” This pirate-themed attraction will feature colorful and animated Halloween decoration, festive illumination and the famous Magical Pirate Ship.
Kids age 12 and under and their parents can walk with the pirates and get acquainted with friendly ghosts. Gates open at 5 p.m. Oct. 31 and are located at Third Street next to Huntington Station restaurant. The Morgan Hill Kiwanis Club hopes this spirited pirate party will become an annual Halloween tradition for the community.
While we at MHAT-19 want everyone to partake of the fun scares and thrills of Halloween, we’d also like to remind you that the holiday comes with real-life dangers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about four times as many children between the ages of 5 and 14 years are killed while strolling the streets on Halloween evening compared with other evenings of the year. Falls are an especially common cause of injuries among youngsters on Halloween.
In the spirit of the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween, the volunteers at MHAT-19 encourage you to make sure you and your children have an enjoyable and safe night. That’s why we’re providing some tips for a safe trick-or-treating experience.
We suggest all your trick-or-treaters be in groups guided by adults, especially with very young children. Create a map for a safe route to go trick-or-treating. Make sure you know where your youngsters are going, and make sure you put a time limit for young people to get back home. Take your children out when there’s still sunlight out. If it gets dark, make sure you have an adult carrying a flashlight – and do your trick-or-treating trek in neighborhoods with plenty of streetlamp light.
Make sure that your children use the sidewalks and not the streets for walking. Have them cross only at street corners at intersections. Never let them go between parked cars. When crossing the street, they should look in all directions – and obey the pedestrian traffic signals. Also, remind them not to take shortcuts through backyards, parks or dark alleys.
We suggest that in dressing up your children in costumes, make sure the cloth is flame retardant so that the youngsters are not in danger if they get near the candle of a lit-up jack-o-lantern. Consider putting reflective tape on your children’s costumes so that they can be easily seen at night. Also, make sure the costumes are at a suitable length so that children won’t trip or fall if their feet catch on the cloth. Halloween masks can get hot and uncomfortable, and they can also obstruct a child’s vision (which can be a danger in crossing streets or climbing up or down stairwells). We recommend you put make-up on your child’s face.
If your child is too young to remember his or her name and phone number, it’s a good idea to make sure your child’s full name and phone number is placed on their costumes somewhere if they get lost. If they’re old enough, provide them with a cell phone.
Make sure your kids don’t eat any candy or treats until you inspect their haul in a well-lighted place. Allow them to eat only unopened candies and other goodies that are safely packaged in their original wrappers. Look at fruit and homemade goodies for any suspicious material.
All the volunteers at MHAT-19 hope you and your family have a safe and happy trick-or-treating experience this Halloween. Bewitching wishes from the “Boo Crew” at MHAT-19.
