Local

21st Annual Safe Trick or Treat and Costume Party


halloween-morguefile-092807.jpg Park Forest, IL—(ENEWSPF)— Goblins, ghouls, movie stars, superheroes, and others seeking candy and prizes are advised to attend the Park Forest Police Department’s 21st Annual Safe Trick or Treat and Costume Party in the Downtown area beginning at 3:00 p.m. The Village Board passed a resolution at the October 22 regular meeting establishing "Trick-or-Treating" hours as 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31. Representatives from social groups, businesses, and neighborhood organization will be on hand to distribute candy. Some of these groups also donated prizes for the costume contest that follows.

The line-up for Halloween festivities is as follows:

3:00—5:00 Free movie provided by the Eagle Movie Theatre
5:00—6:00 Trick or Treating in the Downtown (over 40 Candy Stations)
6:15—7:00 Costume Judging in the Downtown Village Green or Old Marshall Field’s

Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart issued safety tips for Halloween. According to Dart office, "About four times as many children are hit and killed by cars on Halloween than any other night of the year. Children are also at risk for burns and falls in bulky, unsafe costumes. These injuries are easily preventable if parents follow these tips for a safe Halloween:

  • Check your children’s costumes. Make sure that they are light colored and flame retardant. Face paint should be worn instead of a mask, but if a mask is necessary, check to make sure it has enlarged holes for breathing and vision. Wigs should be fireproof and should not impair vision. Discourage children from carrying sharp or pointed objects as part of their costumes. Check the length of the costume to prevent tripping.
  • Trick-or-treating should take place during daylight hours. Accompany your younger children and make sure older children are in groups. If your children are trick-or-treating at night, make sure their costumes are light-colored or reflective so that they are visible to motorists. Check with your local municipal government to see if trick-or-treating has been limited to certain daytime hours. Many suburban towns impose early curfews on Halloween night.
  • Discuss the route your older children will take. Make sure they stay close to home, and remind them never to enter a stranger’s home or to accept rides from someone they don’t know. Also remind older children to walk on the sidewalks instead of the streets.
  • Parents can check the Cook County Sheriff’s website at www.cookcountysheriff.org to look up sex offenders in your area to make your children’s trick-or-treating route safer.
  • Remind children not to eat any treats until you have examined them. Candy that appears to have been unwrapped or tampered with in any way should be discarded. Apples and other fruit should be sliced several times before it is eaten.

This will in all likelihood be the last costume judging party in the old Marshall Field’s building. At the same meeting, the Village Board paved the way for the final demise of the structure by approving a motion to authorize the Village Manager to enter into an agreement with Baxter & Woodman for engineering services for the demolition of Marshall Fields. The agreement stipulates these services will not exceed $53,600. Total cost of leveling the Fields building is projected at $1.5 million. The project should be completed by the end of June or July 2008, according to Village officials.

Source: cookcountysheriff.org
Photo: MorgueFile.com


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