Covid 19 changes Halloween events

In a year when covid-19 changed everything, some churches are hanging onto to their Halloween events. But even trunk or treating will look a little different at these churches.

Several trunk or treat events have been reimagined as a drivethrough. Masks are still required for participants even if they remain in the vehicle.

Bella Vista Lutheran Church on Forest Hills Boulevard has included pony rides and bouncy houses in the past but this year it is a drive-through without any extra activities. It will be open on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 3 to 5 p.m.

United Lutheran on Cooper Road will host a trunk or treat event in the church parking lot, starting at 3 p.m. on Halloween.

First Methodist Church, on Boyce Ave., will hold a trunk or treat event, with visitors remaining in their vehicles and hosts using grabbers to hand out candy. They will be open on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 3 to 5.

The Highlands Church, a Methodist church on Glasgow Road, is not holding an event

New Life Christian Church will be hosting its event on Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Bella Vista Baptist Church on Lancashire will have a trunk or treat event during its usual youth meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Some of the churches that are not hosting Halloween events reported that they don’t usually hold them. A spokesperson for the Presbyterian Church on Forest Hills said they just don’t have enough children in the congregation to hold a Halloween event. At Village Bible Church, Pastor Mark Voll said that, since there are so many other churches with big events, his congregation has never planned one.