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Written by Dan England
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Friday, 26 October 2007 |
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 Eric Martinez has great memories of hopping from house to house in his old neighborhood trick or treating and hauling away enough candy to allow his dentist to make a down payment on a cherry-red Porsche.
He’s a sophomore at the University of Northern Colorado, usually old enough for anyone to retire their pillowcase, but he admits, a little sheepishly, that he still goes trick or treating.
And yet Martinez is in charge of putting on a safe event in UNC’s residence halls for Halloween this year. There will be a carnival and a haunted house in the basement of Harrison Hall, but more importantly, he said, there will be safe places for kids to go dress up and ask for candy. Students will put a pumpkin on their doors if they want to hand out packages of Smarties and tiny Snickers to kids.
“Some parts of Greeley aren’t the best areas,” Martinez said. “Sexual predators are getting more and more notice, and parents want to be safe.”
More and more parents are following Martinez’s thinking and taking their kids to an exploding number of places that host safe trick-or-treating havens. Malls, churches and schools all are offering places for kids to get candy free of razor blades, weather cold enough to freeze plastic masks or neighbors waiting with axes behind their backs.
The growth in safe havens don’t have everything to do with hysteria over evil neighborhoods filled with witches ready to throw their kids in an oven. This being Colorado, Halloween is usually a cold night, and in fact several Halloweens recently have brought snowstorms and freezing weather. Parents may not want to venture out in such icebox conditions, let alone allow their kids outside. And many of the events are not only creative marketing ideas for malls, shopping centers and even churches, they offer activities other than stuffing a plastic pumpkin with enough candy to last until Christmas.
Janine Strausheim, who is involved with the Greeley Mother’s Center, a place that offers play dates and other activities for kids and parents, has four children aged 10,8,5 and 1 and makes no apologies for choosing a safe place to go have fun on Halloween. If she or her husband do let her kids go out, they stick close.
“You can never be too safe with your children,” she said.
She shakes her head at parents who don’t dress their kids with warm clothes under their costumes, lets them stay out well past the dark hours and don’t worry about where they go to knock on doors. But she also sees a growing number of parents who don’t let their kids out much at all anymore, even though a number of those parents went trick or treating on their own many years ago, as she did.
“They’re more aware that times have changed,” Strausheim said. “You have to be the person who oversees your individual family. It used to be a lot of everybody knows everybody in your neighborhood, but we’ve strayed away from that.”
Strausheim points out that her kids get plenty of candy at those events and usually get to do fun crafts in addition to the sweets stocking. In fact they may make out better than house to house. The Greeley Mall stores offer toys, face painting, games and novelty items in addition to candy. The Outlets at Loveland offers fun on Halloween night, and the stores, and their employees, usually dress up. They might even do little dances. This year the outlet mall is expecting more than 500 kids to come.
The event is a good way for the stores to market themselves, said Amber Manes, marketing and special events manager.
“We sell our businesses on the fact that this is a great way for them to promote themselves,” she said. “We get a lot of people down there.”
Victory Christian Fellowship, 6101 10th St., Greeley, is hosting a carnival. Everyone is invited, not just members of their congregation, and that’s by design.
“We want to get our name out there,” said Elizabeth Virgil, children’s pastor for the church. “We want them to know that there’s a good alternative on Halloween, but we also want them to know a church isn’t just a place to go and sit and listen to scripture. You can have fun as well.”
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SAFE HAVENS
GREELEY
»» Trick or treat nights at Centennial Village Museum, 14th Avenue and A Street in Greeley - 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct.26 and Saturday, Oct. 27. The event is for 8 and under and must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is free but donations to the museum are accepted. The event features trick or treating, games and a marshmallow toasting. The village will be extensively decorated. For more information, call 350.9220 or visit www.greeleymuseums.com.
»»Trick or treating, a haunted house and a carnival at the University of Northern Colorado — Trick or treating starts at 5 p.m. Halloween night, where kids can walk through the residence halls from door to door. A carnival starts at 6 p.m. at Harrison Hall, and a haunted house starts at 7 p.m. in the basement of Harrison Hall. Admission is two canned goods or $2.
»» Trick or treating carnival at Northridge High School - 5:30-7:30 p.m. Halloween night. Free for kids.
»» Trick or treating at the Greeley Mall — 6-8 p.m. Halloween night at the mall. Kids can go from store to store.
»» Halloween Trick or Treat Street Carnival - 5-7 p.m. Halloween night at the Family FunPlex, 1501 65th Ave., Greeley. The carnival features candy booths and games. Admission is free. A costume contest with prizes for different age groups. For more information call 336.4219 or go to www.greeleygov.com/rec.
»» Harvest Carnival at the Victory Christian Fellowship, 6101 10th St., Greeley — 6-8:30 p.m. Halloween night. A bounce house, carnival, candy, inspirational program with black light puppets and other events. Nachos and snacks will be sold for $1. Admission is free. For more information, call 351-8300.
»» Family Fall Festival at Adventist Christian School, 612 N. 23rd Ave., Greeley — 5:30-8 p.m. Halloween night. The fundraiser for the school will include food, games, face painting and crafts. For information, call Lynnette at 576.0727 or Ene at 339.4002.
EVANS
»» Halloween carnival for children — 4:30-6:30 p.m. Halloween night at the Evans Community Building, 1100 37th St., Evans.
loveland
»» Trick or treating at The Outlets in Loveland - 4-7 p.m. Halloween night at the mall in Loveland. Kids can go from store to store. For more information, contact 663.1717.
»» Halloween Hullabaloo at the Marketplace at Centerra - Noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. The event will offer a festive street carnival on Fall River Drive between Panera Bread, Chipotle and Noodles with activities for kids of all ages including face painting, balloon artists, inflatable jumps and slide, special treats and more. A costume contest takes place at 3 p.m. for kids and family.
For a $5 donation to Partners Mentoring Youth, festival visitors will leave the event with a pumpkin ready for carving.
For more information, go to www.centerracolorado.com or call 613.4567 or 776.1040.
»» Family Fun Festival at Peters Park in Loveland — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 in the park. Games, music, crafts and trick or treating. For more information on this event, contact 962.2410.
JOHNSTOWN/MILLIKEN
»» Halloween family fun night in Milliken — 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 at Milliken Middle School. Games and prizes, jump house, piñatas, costume contests and candy will be featured. Admission is free. For ages 5th grade and under.
»» Johnstown-Milliken businesses hosting trick or treating — 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. Businesses in downtown Johnstown, Johnstown Station, Rutherford Street, downtown Milliken and Trader’s Junction. Participating businesses will have an orange pumpkin in their windows. For more information, call 587.7042.
FORT COLLINS
»» Open House and Halloween Bash at the Family Center/La Familia, 309 Hickory St., Fort Collins — 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30. Guests are encouraged to wear costumes to the event, which includes face painting and treats. Families planning to attend should RSVP by phone, 221.1615 or e-mail
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Trick-or-Treat Feat: UNC has a safe alternative for kids
By Erica Grundin
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College campuses are traditionally places for keggers and other adult activities.
On the eve of Halloween this week at one hall on the University of Northern Colorado campus, it’ll be all about the kids.
“The campus is a good, safe place to see positive things young adults are doing while interacting with the community,” said Catharine Pilafas, events director for Alpha Psi Omega, the theater honor society that is hosting the event.
The Safe Halloween will have pumpkin painting, a ghost story reenactment, special effects makeup and face painting and opportunities for kids to play with instruments provided by the national honorary band fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi.
Other groups helping with the event include three sororities, two fraternities, one multicultural sorority, the Presidential Leadership Program and the University Honors Program.
The event is from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 30 to avoid conflicts with other events in the area and plans children may have already made with friends.
“The idea is to make it a magnet event, so there is nothing its competing with,” Pilafas said.
The evening will involve children moving through three floors of the South wing of Frasier Hall, 9th Avenue and 15th Street in Greeley. Guides will help children maneuver through the various areas and children will probably receive maps so they can check off the places they visit in the building. Each room or activity will also hand out candy or tokens.
“The idea is not to be too scary,” Pilafas said. The event is aimed for children in K-8 grades, but high school students who bring younger siblings will still have a good time.
Alpha Psi Omega is planning to make the Safe Halloween an annual event, although depending on performance schedules of the various groups involved, the location of the event might change from year to year.
Various other UNC groups will sponsor Halloween events. Residence halls will be open for trick-or-treating on Halloween. There will be a kid’s carnival and haunted hall as well.
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HAPPENINGS: HALLOWEEN AND THEN SOME
LOVELAND HALLOWEEN FAMILY FUN FESTIVAL
The Loveland Museum/Gallery will be holding the 6th annual Halloween Family Fun Festival on Oct. 27 while downtown businesses hold annual trick-or-treating.
All events will be held at Peters Park, next to the Museum/Gallery at 503 N. Lincoln Ave. in Loveland. Starting at 10 a.m., activities will include live entertainment, crafts and activities for kids, lunch for a small fee and trick roping with Cowboy Craig.
A costume contest will also be held, participants should register before 12:15 p.m. Categories for the contest include best costume in various age ranges, as well as best family theme costume. Prizes will be awarded to the winner in each category.
There will also be downtown trick-or-treating for children. Stores participating in this event will have signs in their windows.
For more information, call 962.2410.
TINY TOT HALLOWEEN IN OLD TOWN FORT COLLINS
Downtown Fort Collins is hosting trick-or-treating for preschool age children at Tiny Tot Halloween Downtown.
Trick-or-treating will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31, so children have the opportunity to trick-or-treat during the daytime. Children and their families should meet at the Old Town Square near the fountain. From Old Town Square, trick-or-treating will go down College Avenue, Walnut and Linden streets. The event will wrap up at Sunset Event Center with refreshments and dancing at a “Monster Mash” party. For more information, go to www.DowntownFortCollins.com or call 484.6500.
FOOD CO-OP'S FALL FESTIVAL
The Fort Collins Food Co-op will hold its fall festival and annual meeting Sunday, Oct. 28. There will be pumpkin carving, kids’ activities, homemade pie contest, a dance party and more.
It will be from 4-8 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, the corner of Remington and Oak in Fort Collins.
For more information, stop by the Food Co-op at 250 E. Mountain Ave., or call 484.7448.
TEAM FORT COLLINS DANCE
TEAM Fort Collins will sponsor a dance for kids in grades 7-9 from 8-10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27. The event will feature music, dancing, dodgeball, basketball, food, prizes and a costume contest.
The dance will be at the new Aztlan Community Center at 112 E. Willow St. in Fort Collins. Tickets are $5.
TEAM Fort Collins aims to make the community free of the use and abuse of illegal substances. They do this by promoting healthy choices in the community and providing information to make good choices.
For more information, call TEAM Fort Collins at 224.9931.
CLUB TICO BENEFIT CONTRA DANCE
Club Tico will hold a special dance night on Oct. 27 to raise funds for renovations to the club.
The building that houses Club Tico is 85 years old and organizers are hoping to add air conditioning and other improvements. The event is sponsored by Friends of Traditional Dance, a non-profit organization that promotes the preservation of traditional dance forms.
The event will feature two new live bands and several new callers. There will be a silent auction, garage sale and prizes for the best costumes.
A free dance lesson will begin at 7 p.m., no partner or experience necessary. Live music dancing will be from 8-11 p.m. Club Tico is at 1599 City Park Dr. in Fort Collins.
The suggested donation for attending the dance is $7. For more information, go to
www.fotd.org or call 493.8277.
TOP CAT AND TAILS GALA
“Hollywoof,” the 9th Annual Top Cat and Tails Gala is Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the First National Exhibition Hall at The Ranch in Loveland.
Adoptable animals from the humane society will be in attendance, along with Channel 7 News Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson and Pet Parade Co-Hosts Chris Kelly and Ryan Kramer from 96.1 KISS FM.
Silent auction items include travel packages, antiques, gift certificates, fine art from local artists, jewelry and more.
The Larimer Humane Society provides shelter for more than 12,000 animals each year including domestic, exotic, barnyard and wild animals.
Advance reservations are required, tickets are $75 per person or $600 for a table of eight. To register, call 226.3647.
QUILT SHOW
Stitches in Time 6th Annual Quilt Show will be from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 27 and from 11 a.m. -4 p.m. Oct. 28 at Roosevelt High School, 616 N. 2nd St., Johnstown.
The show will host an array of community favorites, such as the “Olde Tyme Craft Demonstrations,” and a display of dozens of quilts, both new and vintage.
Test your luck with a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind items through a silent auction, or a chance to win a queen-sized quilt made by a local quilter.
The cost is $1 for adults, and children under 12 are free. Hot breakfast and lunch items will be available, as well as food booths and baked items. Entertainers and musicians are scheduled during both days of the show.
NEXTnc staff reports
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