Photo by Autumn Micketti
We may have to cancel our big Halloween bashes, but that does not mean Halloween is canceled. There will still be spooky movies, tasty treats, and costumes galore. And with tips and tricks from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Delish and a few local events, you can still make the holiday fun and safe!
The CDC recommends that if you are hosting a holiday gathering to limit attendees and have the events outside as much as possible. If you cannot have your event outside, make sure you hold your event in a properly ventilated space. If you are attending a gathering, be sure to wear your mask and check in with your host prior-to-attending to see what precautions they are taking.
No matter where you go, be sure to be socially distanced, always wash your hands, and wear your mask. Remember, costume masks are not a proper substitute for actual, cloth face masks. That being said, there are still dozens of activities to do to get yourself into the spooky spirit this year! Both the CDC and Delish offer fun and spooky activities for you to do with your pod or with people at a distance. The former offers different activities at different levels of risk.
Fun, low-risk things to do during this Halloween season vary from virtual parties and costume contests with friends to decorating your house or living quarters to represent the holiday. Many streaming services offer collections of Halloween movies, and some even offer “watch parties” where people on different devices can watch the same film, leading to a socially-distanced watch party.
Delish offers fun ideas to get pumped for Halloween, like having dance parties in your Halloween costumes and preparing a Halloween feast, complete with Jack-O’Lantern stuffed peppers. If you’re not in the mood for cooking and just want to eat, now is a great time to order take-out from your favorite places and support local businesses.
Another fun and local activity is participating in Ashlandmeme’s costume contest! The local and popular meme account is hosting a costume contest open to everyone in Ashland, with prizes offered to first, second, and third place. For more information on this unique event, go to Ashlandmeme’s contest guidelines.
Finally, SOU EP!C has partnered with Escape Ashland to offer a free Outdoor Puzzle Hunt for all SOU students in part of “Halloweekend.” Sign-ups for the scavenger hunt close at 11:59 pm on Wednesday, October 28th, and you can choose to complete the hunt on either Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. To sign up for the scavenger hunt, go here. If you have any questions, email SOU EP!C at epic@sou.edu.
There will always be Halloween, this year it will just be celebrated differently. Carve up some pumpkins, wear a silly (or scary) costume, and turn on a spooky classic. Halloween is still here. Just be sure to wear a mask.
