Jan Belk’s family holds a Halloweenie Roast each Oct. 31. The family theme party includes costumes, pumpkin-carving contests for kids and adults and, of course, flame-roasted hot dogs.
“This year’s theme: ‘Going Viral,'” she says.
Their wry humor is one example of how creative Chattanoogans are finding a way to keep the treat in trick-or-treating Saturday night, Oct. 31.
The stars are aligning for what should have been a picture-perfect Halloween night for trick-or-treaters. There will be a full moon glowing in the night sky. According to Farmers’ Almanac, the next full moon on a Halloween night won’t return until 2039. This Halloween falls on a Saturday, with the added perk of an hour’s extra sleep when residents fall back for daylight-saving time in the wee hours of Sunday morning, Nov. 1.
But with the country in its seventh month of COVID-19 quarantining, it’s not the year to be knocking on strangers’ doors in hopes of a candy handout. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised last month against traditional trick-or-treating or trunk-or-treating, fall festivals and indoor haunted houses in order to prevent the virus’s spread.
Since then social media has been filled with posts from everyone with an opinion, from national magazines to blogging moms, all proffering their ideas on how to celebrate what has been nicknamed “Quarantine-oween.”
Some local residents say they expect neighborhood trick-or-treating to proceed as usual, but they will be taking their own safety precautions. Others are leaving a bowl of candy on their doorstep and trusting visitors to use the honor system to take just one treat. Others are relying on homemade candy luges and candy ziplines to distribute candy while respecting social-distancing guidelines.
More ideas include “scare-venger” hunts, decorating boo baskets from leftover Easter baskets, Halloween costume parades through neighborhoods or making mummy pizzas from string-cheese threads crisscrossing marinara sauce slathered on rolled-out biscuit dough.
Check below for these ideas along with responses from an informal Facebook poll in which members of Chattanooga Women’s Supper Club revealed creative ideas for fun while taking quarantine safety seriously.
How to build a candy luge
Candy luges, or candy cannons as they are also known, are a big fad this Halloween 2020. Directions can be found on how to make them on youtube.com or chattanooga.pinspiration.com.A candy luge is basically a hollow, 6-foot-long, cylindrical tube that is attached to a base that is approximately 4 feet in width and 3 to 4 feet in height.The tube can be made by purchasing a 6-foot length of PVC pipe or by purchasing two, 36-inch poster tubes and taping them together with packaging tape. The base can either be cut from wood and painted with a spooky motif or made of posterboard covered in a Halloween-print fabric. If using poster board, tape a metal yard spike to the back of the poster board, which can be staked in the ground to hold the base steady.Cut a hole the diameter of the tube in the base to hold one end of the tube.Stand at the other end of the tube, holding it slightly elevated in order to slide candy down through the tube, which will shoot out the hole in the base to waiting trick-or-treaters.— Susan Pierce
HANDS OFF THE CANDY!
* “I plan on setting a bowl out on the porch in case any trick-or-treaters show up. My family will not be trick-or-treating this year though because my son has medical issues. We actually bought a COVID pinata for him to bust, we’re giving him a boo basket and will be roasting marshmallows in the backyard and then watching ‘Halloweentown.’ I still got him a costume though. Trying not to be a complete party pooper or judge what others feel safe doing.” – Tanya Cutright, Red Bank
* “Dumping [candy] bags in huge bowls, using some new tongs from Dollar Tree to scoop and drop in kids’ bags while wearing a mask. I am a nurse, so NO TOUCH is important to me.” – Andrea Hayes Smith, Chattanooga
* “We will happily give candy to anyone that comes to our house while wearing a mask. Most neighborhoods in our area have reported they are welcoming trick-or-treaters.” – Julie Maynor, Harrison
* “[We’re using a] candy luge for giving out candy, plus a 72-hour quarantine box for the incoming candy haul. Candy drops right into their bags on Halloween night. Masks and gloves, of course.” – Nikki Swager, Chattanooga
* “We’re placing factory-wrapped candy in individual bags on our porch hoping that the little goblins will honor one bag each.” – Hollie Stockman, Chattanooga
* “We aren’t going out, and we’re too remote to get trick-or-treaters. We’re planning a candy hunt with costumes for our girls, then bonfire with hot dogs and marshmallows. Then we’ll stay up late and watch a movie. The kids are actually really excited about it.” – Erica Anderson, Chattanooga
Photo by Cindy Lowery / Let children help decorate a Halloween tree this week. Either make your own or purchase them, such as these clay ornaments created by Chattanooga artisan Cindy Lowery.FAMILY FUN
* No to trick-or-treating. Makes me sad, but not worth the risk. We will make a fire in the outdoor fireplace, decorate haunted gingerbread houses, make jack-o’-lantern individual pizzas, mix up a batch of apple cider doughnuts, roast marshmallows and create s’mores. Probably a pinata and maybe a Halloween candy hunt.” – Sherri Feltner, East Brainerd
* “Our plan is to put candy in our Easter eggs and do a Halloween hunt in the yard, only visit a few neighbors that we know to trick-or-treat, put on Halloween pajamas and watch a family Halloween movie. ” – Shawnte Bacher, Hixson
* “We are planning an outdoor pirate-themed party with treasure hunts for the kids. We are building a pirate ship and cannons as well.” – Holly Randall, whose post was accompanied by pics of the prow of a ship and the family cat wearing a black buccaneer’s hat
* “We will be gathering at my daughter’s house with a small, close-knit group, and the children will be scavenger hunting for candy hidden around the house. My daughter has already bought matching costumes for her, her hubby and two little ones. Baby Sharks for all!” – Lindsay Fussell, Chattanooga
* “We’ve got two littles, and we’ll be hauling out the plastic Easter eggs and staging a backyard Halloween candy hunt just for them.” – Amy Brauer, East Brainerd
“* We are planning to camp at Fall Creek Falls with three other families and do Halloween festivities between just the families we camp with, including having the kids dress up and carve pumpkins and trick-or-treat between the four campsites.” – Cheree Moore, Chattanooga
GOOD NEIGHBORS
“We are going to a friend’s house to watch a Halloween movie outside on a projector and have a campfire. We’re going to get a pinata for the kids and fill it with their favorite candies. Our neighborhood is doing a costume parade for the kids and the homeowners association is giving the neighborhood kids goodie bags. Most families in our neighborhood are still welcoming trick-or-treaters.” – Bobbie Dake, Chattanooga
* “Neighborhood social-distanced trick-or-treating and costume parade. We are setting up candy booths around a park.” – Margaret Sikes, Brainerd
* “We live in a popular neighborhood for trick-or-treating [Colonial Shores], and we will be doing a hay ride parade-style. Anyone participating will be in their front yards and throw candy to the kids.” – Kayla Loutzenhiser, Hixson
Email Susan Pierce at beagleluvr126@yahoo.com.