This Halloween, the scariest spook on Anna Maria Island is microscopic.
Cases of the novel coronavirus again are on the rise in some areas of the country, including Florida, according to statistics from the Florida Department of Health.
As such, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided guidelines for trick-or-treating and some alternate activities for people choosing to play it safe.
Most annual Halloween festivities for 2020 on Anna Maria Island were canceled, including the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s annual Trail of Treats, an opportunity for businesses to pass out candy to hordes of costume-clad children.
“The chamber event was usually so busy,” Holmes Beach Commissioner Pat Morton, also an employee of Holmes Beach Ace Hardware, said Oct. 14. “Not sure where they are going to go this year.”
The Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge No. 2188, 110 Gulf Drive S., Bradenton Beach, will host a private event for members’ children Oct. 31 — a drive-thru with a bag of candy for each kid with Tommy Moose, the lodge mascot, waving to the parade of passing kids in vehicles.
“We wanted to do something safe for our kids,” Byron Dalton, lodge administrator, said Oct. 15. “We figured they can stay in their cars and still get a treat.”
In Anna Maria, the Sandbar Restaurant, 100 Spring Ave., is hosting a “Spookfest” on the beach for kids and grown-ups, including a screening of the movie “Jaws,” games, mask decorating and a pop-up menu, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for kids. People can make reservations through the restaurant’s Facebook page.
According to some island residents, trick-or-treating in neighborhoods has grown scant as vacation rentals replace family residences. Previously, people would trick-or-treat in neighborhoods with predominantly full-time residents.
In lieu of trick-or-treating, some families have opted to have small parties.
“Instead of trick-or-treating we are going to have a small family costume party, just for the cousins in our family,” Katy Roadman of Holmes Beach, a mother of five kids, said Oct. 18. “Praying that things return back to normal next year so the new families of the island get to experience what amazing small-town celebrations we have in Holmes Beach.”
“We haven’t had a single trick-or-treater in the 17 years I’ve lived here,” Tjet Martin, Bradenton Beach resident and vacation rental owner in the 300 block of Gulf Drive South, said Oct. 14. “I would be shocked if someone showed up. Especially this year.”
But stranger things have happened.
So this year the CDC is asking people to follow a set of guidelines when tricking-or-treating, including:
- Avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters, giving out treats outdoors;
- Set up a station with individually bagged treats;
- Wash hands and wear a cloth mask;
- Do not wear a costume mask as a substitute or place the costume over a cloth mask, as breathing problems could occur;
- Children under 2 or people with breathing difficulties should not wear face masks;
- Stay at least 6 feet from people not sharing a residence;
- Bring hand sanitizer while trick-or-treating and apply after each stop.
Additionally, the CDC provided alternatives:
- Decorate and carve pumpkins;
- Visit a pumpkin patch;
- Hide treats around the house;
- Watch Halloween movies with household members.