Westport prepares for Halloween in a pandemic

WESTPORT — Thom Perreault has assisted numerous customers over the past decade in preparing for Halloween by choosing between ghoulish creatures and well-known superheroes — but this year is unique.

“I’ve seen it all,” said Perreault, a store manager at Spooky Town. “We’ve had snow storms, hurricanes during Halloween...this year is like completely different. It’s a completely different year.”

This is the sixth consecutive year Spooky Town, a Halloween pop-up, has appeared in Westport. The store also has pop-ups in Orange and Stamford.

Perreault said this year the store has implemented safety precautions due to the coronavirus pandemic like mask wearing, social distancing, and not allowing for fitting rooms. But despite all of this the enthusiasm is still high.

“Surprisingly it’s been really good,” Perreault said of business so far. “But people are going really crazy for decorations this year.”

The focus on decorations comes as many residents look for alternatives to typical trick-or-treating. The town is also asking residents to be considerate in how they approach celebrating the holiday this year due to the pandemic.

“We’re trying to discourage some of the large gatherings that historically take place, and encouraging people to celebrate Halloween and do trick-or-treating events in a smaller scale,” First Selectman Jim Marpe said.

The annual Halloween parade and trick-or-treating has been canceled this year, he said, but the Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a Halloween house decorating contest to keep the community spirit.

Marpe said the town sponsored a similar initiative when the annual Fourth of July fireworks ceremony had to be canceled this year.

“A lot of people participated and I think a lot more will participate in the Halloween decorations because that’s really become a thing in Westport and a lot communities,” he said.