BERNARDSTON — The Bernardston Kiwanis Club’s Halloween Drive-Thru is returning for the second year.
The event will be held at the United Church of Bernardston on Sunday, Oct. 31, from 3 to 5 p.m. Children — and adults — are encouraged to wear their costumes.
The Kiwanis Club regularly participates in Halloween-themed festivities during the annual Scarecrow in the Park event, held Oct. 16 and 17. Last year, club members came up with the candy drive-thru to offer an alternative to trick-or-treating to make sure families could satisfy their sweet tooth and to keep the spooky spirit alive when the town Board of Health prohibited traditional door-to-door candy collection in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We wanted to try to do a little something on Halloween to let them bang and clang around a bit,” Kiwanis Club member Dan Devine said. “We had a great turnout last year — there were hundreds of kids.”
Traditional trick-or-treating will be permitted again this year. The Board of Health encourages all trick-or-treating children and accompanying adults, as well as residents giving out candy, to wear masks. Those who do not wish to participate in Halloween are recommended to turn off their outdoor lights.
The Halloween Drive-Thru will once again take place in the parking lot of the United Church of Bernardston, with vehicles entering from Hartwell Street by the Bernardston Veterans Club and proceeding through the parking lot to exit onto Church Street (Route 10).
In addition to the Kiwanis Club’s drive-thru, interested families can visit the Bernardston Fire Station where members of the town’s public safety departments will operate their own Halloween candy station starting at 3 p.m.
Devine said this year’s Halloween Drive-Thru will be hosted by “the same cast of characters” as last year, including the Kiwanis Club, the Veterans Club, the United Church of Bernardston, and the town Recreation, Police and Fire departments.
“It’s fun to see all the people in costume,” Devine said.
Last year’s event saw a variety of characters stop by the local church, from Disney princesses to Beetlejuice.
Everyone must remain in their vehicles; no walkers are allowed as a COVID-19 safety precaution. According to Devine, all candy will be “commercially packaged products” approved by the town Board of Health, which also set safety guidelines for the event. The church is looking for donations of pre-packaged candy, and donations may be left on the table inside the church door near the kitchen.
Devine thanked the church for hosting the Kiwanis Club on Halloween, and volunteers for supplying candy and attending the drive-thru event.
“We continue to be amazed with how well the community supports us,” he said.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.