Northwest Iowa — More and more corn is being harvested. Many trees are in beautiful color, but more and more of their leaves are falling every day. And pumpkins and other fall decorations are everywhere. It could only mean one thing. Soon little ghosts and goblins will be ringing your doorbell and shouting, “Trick or treat!”
And this is one of those years that present interesting challenges because the actual day of Halloween falls on a Sunday. Some people object to trick-or-treating on a Sunday for family, religious, or other reasons, and so alternate plans are made.
In Sheldon, the day for the festivities is this Friday, October 29th, says Sheldon Interim Chamber Director Shantel Oostra.
Again, that’s all on Friday. Oostra tells us that they started something last year due to COVID that, because it worked better and was more organized, they’re continuing this year.
Some other communities are following suit and doing everything on Friday, and some are not.
Sibley will have business trick-or-treating on Friday from 4 to 5 p.m. and residential trick-or-treating after that from 5-7 p.m.
Rock Rapids had a couple of concerns to work around. The businesses are open on Friday and not so much Saturday and Sunday, so the Halloween Parade, in which kids go around to all the downtown businesses in one long line starting and ending at Sunshine Foods — was scheduled for Friday afternoon. But the Central Lyon/George-Little Rock Lions will be playing a playoff football game that night, so door-to-door residential trick-or-treating wouldn’t work so well on Friday night. So Rock Rapids residents have decided to trick-or-treat on the actual evening of Halloween, Sunday, October 31st.
In Orange City, chamber businesses trick-or-treating will be from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday. The chamber tells people to look for the orange signs. Their neighborhood trick-or-treating will be on Saturday night.
In George, they will be doing a “Trunk or Treat” at the George Campground from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Hotdogs, cocoa, and cider will also be available. Residential trick or treating will run from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday night.
The Sioux Center Chamber is encouraging people to go trick-or-treating on Saturday evening from 4-7 p.m. The chamber also says there will be a “Hallelujah Party” on Saturday from 4-6 p.m. at the Sioux Center Middle School Gym.
