St. Albans, Vt. has always been able to boast its awesome annual Halloween events, from Main Street trick-or-treating to food drives. Even though 2020 looks much different than years past, that certainly didn’t stop the downtown event planners from organizing a fun day for everyone.

Dubbed “Spooky Saturday,” on Oct. 24, a bunch of volunteers (including students from BFA’s Theatre Department and Club Interact) set to work, creating a COVID-safe Halloween event in Taylor Park. 

Spooky Saturday included a large variety of fun activities and attractions for children and adults alike. From trunk-or-treating to a pumpkin-carving contest, there was something for everyone to enjoy. There was also a costume contest and a myriad of scary stories. 

One of the bigger changes that came about this year had nothing to do with the event itself, but rather how people attended it.  In previous years, anyone could come to downtown trick-or-treating to participate in the festivities, but now? All attendees had to acquire tickets before attending. These tickets were free and served to distinguish which time slot the participants would be in the park during. The Spooky Saturday events lasted from 4:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., but people could only participate for a certain period of time in order to avoid overcrowding Taylor Park.

Even though Covid-19 undoubtedly interfered with Halloween plans for many people, the St. Albans community came together to organize and carry out this safe, family-friendly event.