Cary Sets Trick-Or-Treat Hours, Urges Caution

Amie Schaenzer
·2 min read

CARY, IL — Trick-or-treating is on this year in Cary. With concerns still high over the spread of coronavirus, some towns throughout the U.S. have decided to call off the Halloween tradition.

But last week, village officials in Cary announced children in town can trick-or-treat between 3 and 7 p.m. on Oct. 31. Those planning to head out this year are encouraged to take extra precautions, including wearing masks and walking only with members of your household and not in large groups.

Here are some additional guidelines the village has put in place this year:

  • Do not take part in trick-or-treating if you are not feeling well or someone in your house is sick, if you are waiting on COVID-19 test results or know you've been exposed to COVID-19, or if you have recently returned from travel to a hotspot state.

  • Turn on your porch lamp or outdoor lights to show that your home is welcoming trick-or-treaters. Teach children not to ring the doorbell at a house that does not have its lights on.

  • Consider using a motion-activated noise maker so you can be notified when a trick-or-treater is at the door so that trick or treaters do not have to ring the doorbell, which could be touched by many on Halloween.

  • Masks should be worn by everyone 2 years old and older. This includes trick-or-treaters and those passing out the treats.

  • Leave candy sitting out on your porch or on your lawn.

  • If you do want to answer your door, pass out candy instead of inviting children to take a treat from a communal bowl. Ask children to tell you their choice of a treat rather than taking it themselves.

  • Hand sanitizer should be used regularly while trick-or-treating.

  • Maintain a safe distance from other trick-or-treating groups and do not approach a house until the previous group has left.

  • Do not distribute coins, cash, fresh fruit or homemade treats.

Village officials also provided these ideas for distributing treats:

  • Consider utilizing a “candy chute” or other creative ideas to provide social distance for trick-or-treaters.

  • Host a trunk-or-treat: Instead of inviting trick-or-treaters to come to your door, decorate your car and place candy in the open trunk for children to take.

  • Create a grab-bag candy walk on your lawn: Place candy inside recyclable paper lunch bags so each child can simply pick up a bag of treats.

  • Mark a safe distance from your door using chalk and ask children to stand behind the line before you open the door to pass out candy.

For a printable version of these guidelines, click here.


This article originally appeared on the Crystal Lake-Cary Patch