Carson Valley prepares for candy goblins

2020 was supposed to see the return of the Genoa Halloween hayride, but Genoans will have to make their own fun this year as both the potluck and the hayride have been canceled.

But Genoa Bar owner Willie Webb said he and wife, Miss Cindy, will be greeting the town’s trick-or-treaters.

“We will be using masks and I’ll hand out the candy with gloved hands directly from the bag for safety protocols,” he said on Monday.

In Gardnerville, Trinity Lutheran Church on Douglas Avenue will host its annual Trunk or Treat celebration, with volunteers wearing masks and dispensing candy with tongs.

“There will be games, decorated trunks, candy and prizes,” Church Communications Director Carrie White said. “Social distancing guidelines will be in place.”

Hot beverages and packaged treats will be available at the end. Organizers are asking visitors to enter the parking lot from Douglas Avenue and exit at Mill Street.

Gardnerville Ranchos church Calvary Chapel of Carson Valley will host a free drive-through 1-3 p.m. Saturday at 1004 Dresslerville Road.

The church has conducted its harvest festival at the Douglas County Fairgrounds for more than 30 years, but is hosting a “Simple Kindness” event where families who drive through will receive a gift bag filled with candy, a Bible lesson with a craft they can work on at home and a Bible with an accompanying mobile app while supplies last. The church is also giving free boxed hotdog lunches and bottled water.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and The Record-Courier will be hosting Trick or Treat Safety Street noon to 5 p.m. at the Fairgrounds. Entry is $4 per trick-or-treater and prizes will be given out for the best child costume, teen costume and family costumes. Books, bicycles, scooters and skateboards will be among the prizes.

After Trick-or-Treat Street wraps up, the Sheriff’s Office will do a set change for the last night of Fright at the Fairgrounds. On Halloween night, the scary maze will be open until 11:30 p.m.

Fright at the Fairgrounds is also open 6-9 p.m. Friday. Masks are required for the maze, which is $5 for children and $10 for adults.

While the coronavirus outbreak has changed things, it’s likely that costumed candy marauders will be wandering Douglas County’s neighborhood streets in search of treats.

Given the extra legal nature of trick-or-treating, it’s not a surprise that the state is lukewarm on the practice.

“Many Halloween activities, such as door-to-door trick-or-treating, may appear low risk because they take place outdoors or the interactions may be short,” recommendations for Halloween said. “However, when a lot of people participate in lower-risk activities at the same time it raises the potential for disease spread across the state.”

State health officials suggested that trick-or-treaters follow health recommendations including staying in small groups and wear masks.

Halloween masks aren’t a substitute for a cloth masks, according to the state. Instead, health officials recommend a Halloween-themed cloth mask as part of a costume.

The state is recommending people participate in alternatives to traditional trick-or-treating to prevent people from mingling.

They suggest neighborhoods plan trick or treating, including ways to hand out candy while social distancing, including using a plastic slide or cardboard tube to deliver candy from a distance, or lining up treats at the end of a driveway.

Other options are as simple as putting candy outside on a porch.