Looking for a slightly scary, slightly sweet but fun-filled way
to spend Halloween night? Downtown Morgan Hill is the place to be,
for the 11th annual Safe Trick-or-Treat from 5-7 p.m.
Morgan Hill
Looking for a slightly scary, slightly sweet but fun-filled way to spend Halloween night? Downtown Morgan Hill is the place to be, for the 11th annual Safe Trick-or-Treat from 5-7 p.m.
Sponsored by the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, the event is free for the public, designed to give approximately 3,000 little spooks and fairy princesses an exciting alternative to going door-to-door in their neighborhood.
Monterey Road from Main to Dunne avenues will be closed one hour before the celebration begins to give the approximately 70 businesses participating a chance to set up. The street will re-open an hour after the event. Most aren’t expected to make any sales during the event and are participating as a way to give back to the community, according to Theresa Kiernan, executive director of the association.
In the past, local Boy Scout troops offered assistance for trick-or-treaters crossing the street during the event, but this is the third year the road has been completely closed during the event, offering another level of safety for the kids.
Besides the traditional candy dole – children, remember your bags to collect the sweets – there are all kinds of activities to keep the little ghosts and goblins entertained.
“We’ve tried to bring in some new things as well as favorites from past years,” said Jorge Briones, the Downtown Association’s new event coordinator. “I think the kids can all find something fun, not just candy.”
A new attraction this year is “the largest pumpkin Morgan Hill has ever seen,” Briones said. The pumpkin weighed in at more than 1,000 pounds and will be carved into a giant Jack-o-lantern, courtesy of Usegi Farms. The monster pumpkin will be on display during the two hour event on the front lawn of the Community and Cultural Center at the corner of Monterey Road and Dunne Avenue.
Kids will enjoy trick-or-treating at merchant candy tables and at downtown stores and can have their face painted, get “spellbound” by a magician and interact at the interactive kids area with inflatable fun. A mini baseball park gives kids another way to expend some energy while having fun.
Briones said the event is also open to merchants not located in the downtown corridor. If they sign up to be a “candy host,” merchants will have a table on Monterey Road to pass out candy. They will be included in event publicity. Briones said interested merchants should contact him at 779-3190.
