Perhaps the only thing scarier than gory costumes in October is the possibility of the annual parade causing a coronavirus hot spot. Rotarians who took over running the parade last year have advised that they won’t hold it this year, and village trustees support that decision. They are considering if they want to discourage trick-or-treating and other holiday activities, as well.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which usually means a much larger crowd in the village streets. Deputy county executive Mark Rider reportedly agrees that a government-sanctioned event wouldn’t be a good idea at this time. That parade would also violate the 50-person gathering limit imposed by the governor, who has issued no opinion about Halloween specifically.
For now, trustees are mulling over if they want to officially state that they’d rather people not go door to door at all. Deputy mayor KT Tobin pointed out how beloved Halloween is in New Paltz — with trustee William Wheeler Murray calling it “the high holidays” of the community — and wondered whether there might be a way to safely look at costumes.
“Can we not do something on video?” asked mayor Tim Rogers, echoing a local Zoom fatigue. Trustee Michele Zipp suggested leaving candy out in a bowl and watching safely from inside.
Trustees reserved judgment as to whether asking people to stay home would be necessary, but agreed that, they could revisit their approach, no matter what it might be, should conditions improve markedly.
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