CLAYPOOL – At its Tuesday meeting, the Claypool Town Council approved both trunk-or-treating and trick-or-treating hours for Halloween.
At the request of Claypool resident Jamie Archer, the council passed a motion that will barricade Main Street – from Calhoun to Section streets – for this year’s trunk-or-treat event from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 31.
“In this timeframe, we’d have the kids out on the street while it’s still daylight,” said Archer.
She added that there will not be games this year to limit the chance of COVID-19 exposure, but there will still be a bicycle raffle.
“The fire department will set up tables for the raffle and take down phone numbers so that we don’t have kids touching the same pens; we want to keep things as safe as they can possibly be,” Archer said. “We want to do something for these kids this Halloween since they’ve been cooped up for so long.”
While on the topic of Halloween, the council also decided to make official trick-or-treating hours from 4:30 to 7 p.m. this year. All children are required to wear masks.
Both Archer and Council President Liz Heiman emphasized that it was up to every parent, grandparent or guardian to decide whether to allow their children to take part in the Halloween festivities.
“Our kids are safest when we keep our eyes on them,” Heiman said. “We’re all responsible for keeping each other accountable.”
The council also pointed out that those that do not feel safe with trick-or-treating always have the option to stay at home and not pass out candy.
The council also held a public hearing for the 2021 town budget, which sits at $236,319. The budget will be adopted during a 5 p.m. meeting Nov. 2.
In other council news:
• Town employee Danny Warner reminded residents to place leaves in biodegradable bags for pickup and that burning leaves was prohibited.
• The council approved a CSI-funded classroom training trip for town marshal Ben Sanders to Jacksonville, Fla.
• Council member Gene Warner reminded residents to contact RTC Communication about site inspections for internet hookups.
