People in Austin getting creative to celebrate Halloween
AUSTIN, Texas - There are just two weeks to go until Halloween and while Austin has not banned trick-or-treating, the health department is making suggestions on what types of activities to avoid.
On that list is traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating, trunk or treat events, indoor costume parties and haunted houses.
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With so much to worry about on a day-to-day basis, people in South Austin are doing their best to get in the Halloween spirit and carve out a little time to just have fun.
"So we decided we wanted to go bigger with Halloween this year than we’ve ever gone before," said Kristen Garcis Cantu who designed plywood figurines for her front yard with her daughter Maezy.
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Parents and grandparents hope this Halloween they can bring back a little normalcy by displaying strange and spooky characters in a big way.
"With school and so many families being stuck indoors and not seeing their extended family or friends, it’s been really hard. And this is the first holiday since the pandemic started where we can try to have a little bit of fun," Cantu said.
But they also know they have to use their heads because, this Halloween, not only are people getting creative with costumes, they're also looking for new ways to trick or treat.
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"We know it’s going to be kinda hard giving out candy, so we’re building a contraption here that will hopefully slide the candy down the pipe and into the kids’ basket," said Peggy Cox who decorated her entire front yard for the October holiday.
Cox's candy chute isn't finished just yet. She still plans to decorate the PVC pipe and she will be wearing gloves and a mask as she sends pre-packaged chocolates on their way. "The pole is well over six feet long," said Cox.
A few miles away, Cantu and Maezy have used their own creative bones to set up a safe candy grab.
"So this year, our thought was that we were going to use our trees on the front yard and hang fishing line and clothespins and, basically, take little paper bags, fill them up with candy and hang them from the tree. So that way as kids come by they can just grab a candy bag and wave and go on their way," Cantu said.
That way they can sit back, watch and wave without missing out on a single scream. "I don’t want to get close to other people because the Corona. They might be sick and I don’t want to get myself sick," said Maezy.
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"It’s very exciting to me because everyone gets to go out and finally gets to celebrate," she added.
"I think as long as everybody is taking precautions and following social distancing and mask-wearing then we can still make this a really fun holiday for everybody," Cantu said.
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Austin Public Health said lining up candy bags is a lower-risk option than door-to-door trick-or-treating. They also suggest trick-or-treaters use hand sanitizer between houses and wait 24-48 hours before unwrapping any candy bars.
For more information about Austin Public Health's suggestions, click here.
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