The NCA Guide to a Safe Community Halloween

The NCA Guide to a Safe Community Halloween!

By Ed Avis

Illustrations by Daniela Rojas Arias

Thank you, Sponsors!

This gui de is publishe d an d co pyr ig hte d by the Natio nal Costu m e rs Associatio n, 2020. All r ig hts re se r ve d. Ho weve r, NCA m embe rs may repro duce parts as nee de d to help create their o w n co m munity Hallo ween events.

Mor ris Costumes

Introduction

Welco m e to the NCA’s Help Hallo ween Happen Campaign!

The NCA Help Hallo ween Happen campaign has three co mponents: The gui de yo u are rea ding r ig ht n o w, w h ich is fu ll of i deas that NCA m embe r s can take to their co m mun ity lea de r s to enco urage a safe, fun lo cal Hallo ween; free poste r creatio n an d pr inting to support lo cal events o ur m embe r s develo p; an d sticke r s that m embe r s can han d o ut to ki ds buying costu m e s.

The aim of the Help Hallo ween Happen campaign is to create lo cal excitem ent abo ut Hallo ween. We want the re si dents of yo ur co m mun ity to sho p in yo ur store. That’s w hy the three parts of the campaign all br ing the fo cu s to yo ur store. When yo ur neig hbor s are th inking abo ut Hallo ween th is year, we want them th inking abo ut yo u, to o!

Naturally, the campaign w ill succee d o nly w ith yo ur involvem ent. Once yo u de ci de o n o ne or more of the events de scr ibe d in th is bo ok – or that yo u develo p yo ur self – co ntact NCA Exe cutive Dire ctor Ed Avis (exe cutive dire ctor@costu m e r s.org, 708-218-7755) an d he w ill help yo u acce ss the free poste r creatio n se r vice, w h ich w ill help yo u pro mote the event in yo ur co m mun ity.

We are g ratefu l to the spo nsor s of the Help Hallo ween Happen campaign: Disguise, Dreamg ir l, Ellie Shoe s, Gho u lish Costu m e s, Graftobian Make-Up, M or r is Costu m e s an d Zag o ne Stu dios. As yo u sho p for th is Hallo ween seaso n, please rem embe r the se spo nsor s!

Go o d luck, an d g o o d sale s th is Hallo ween!

10 Ideas for a Safe Community Halloween

Ye s, Hallo ween w ill happen th is year! De spite the challenge s of COVID, millio ns of peo ple want to get o ut an d celebrate th is belo ve d, costu m e-fille d holi day. The i deas o n the follo w ing page s w ill help yo ur co m mun ity celebrate safely.

So m e of the i deas require involvem ent w ith yo ur lo cal author itie s. Naturally, w he re yo u start de pen ds o n yo ur co m mun ity, but as a gene ral r u le of thu mb, tr y starting w ith the ele cte d official most respo nsible for yo ur neig hbor ho o d. For example, if yo u live in a city, yo ur alde r man or co uncilman is probably the pe r so n w ho can most likely get a co m mun ity Hallo ween i dea off the g ro un d. If yo u live in a small to w n, yo u may be able to g o dire ctly to the mayor or othe r lo cal lea de r. In so m e case s, the Chambe r of Co m m e rce may be yo ur be st starting po int, since they also want to see yo ur lo cal bu sine sse s thr ive.

When yo u de ci de o n an i dea, make sure yo u take o w ne r sh ip by helping organ ize an d lea d the event. That w ill help ensure that yo ur sho p is fro nt-an d-cente r of the event. An d w hen yo u have the details, co ntact Ed Avis, exe cutive dire ctor of the NCA, (exe cutive dire ctor@ costu m e r s.org, 708-218-7755) an d the NCA w ill create poste r s to help promote the event.

1. No-Touch Trick or Treating

Tr ick-or -treating is the heart of Hallo ween, an d it can still be do ne safely th is year! The key is to limit co ntact between costu m e d ki ds an d the peo ple han ding o ut can dy. He re are so m e i deas:

- Have familie s that want to participate put a table at the en d of their dr iveway or si dewalk an d space the pie ce s of can dy o ut o n the table. The can dy-g ive r can stan d six feet beh in d the table (or o n the porch or do or way) to g reet tr ick-or -treate r s, an d the tr ick-or -treate r s can take

o ne pie ce of can dy fro m the table w itho ut to uch ing the othe r s. Peo ple w ho are really into the i dea can de corate their table in a Hallo ween them e!

- Create a “tr unk-or -treat” by parking car s in a parking lot, such as of a sho pping mall or scho ol, w ith tr unks o pen an d can dy insi de, safely sprea d o ut. Have tr ick-or -treate r s line up at a safe distance at the entrance to the parking lot an d let them in in small g ro ups. Ki ds can g rab a pie ce of can dy as they pass by each tr unk, an d familie s can watch fro m the car s or at a distance.

- Create a co nfine d tr ick-or -treating space, such as a park or playg ro un d. Mark o ut a path thro ug h the space an d put can dy o n table s thro ug ho ut. Have the tr ick-or -treate r s line up six feet apart (or in family g ro ups se parate d by six feet) at the entrance to the path an d let them in w hen the tr ick-or -treate r or g ro up ahea d is a few table s do w n the way. Familie s or bu sine sse s can do nate the can dy an d de corate each table.

- Enco urage “ reve r se tr ick-or -treating,” or g hosting. Th is m eans that costu m e d ki ds g o to their fr ien ds’ ho u se s an d dro p off treats o n their porche s w ith little n ote s attache d that say, “ Yo u ’ ve been g hoste d!” Th is can be do ne any tim e in the week lea ding up to Hallo ween, so the re ’ s le ss chance of co ntact.

2. Virtual Halloween Fun Run

Fun r uns, such as 5K walk/r uns, are often part of co m mun ity Hallo ween events. The tempe rature in late Octobe r is pe rfe ct near ly

eve r y w he re for peo ple to get o ut an d r un the streets, many in costu m e! The fun, exe rcise an d excitem ent of a 5K Hallo ween Fun Run can be partially re create d by creating a fun r un that peo ple participate in o n their o w n tim e, rathe r than all togethe r.

He re are so m e tips:

- Ann o unce a Hallo ween Fun Run ju st like yo u wo u ld o n a n or mal year, exce pt explain that th is year it w ill be do ne in divi dually rathe r than in a big cro w d. Establish an o nline reg istratio n, create t-sh irts, an d promote the event ju st like yo u wo u ld any year.

- If yo ur co m mun ity n or mally holds a Hallo ween fun r un o n a particu lar ro ute, enco urage them to do the sam e th ing th is year exce pt create three or fo ur diffe rent ro ute s for it, to limit the potential of participants cro w ding the ro ute.

- Enco urage participants to get into the Hallo ween spir it by r unn ing the ro ute in costu m e an d taking selfie s at the fin ish line. Give spe cial awards – maybe g ift ce rtificate s to lo cal bu sine sse s – for the be st costu m e a participant wear s. Make sure the re are categ or ie s for ch ildren, sen ior s, etc. to sprea d the fun.

- Rathe r than hold the event at o ne spe cific tim e, set a two -week w indo w in w h ich participants can r un o ne of the de signate d ro ute s. Eve r yo ne w ith a smartpho ne – an d that’s eve r yo ne! – can tim e h im- or he r self o n the r un. They can also take picture s an d submit them to the website an d/or Facebo ok page for the race.

- Once the two -week tim e pe r io d is o ve r, pro mote all the r unne r s by creating a collage of the submitte d photos an d han ding o ut awards in a virtual ce remo ny. Invite eve r yo ne to log in to watch!

3. Online Masquerade Ball

A masque ra de ball is a fun way to celebrate Hallo ween w h ile sho w ing off a g reat new costu m e, an d that can still happen th is year via Zo o m! The key to making it a co m mun ity event is to set the event to a spe cific tim e – the even ing of Fr i day, Octobe r 30 wo u ld be pe rfe ct for 2020 – an d h ire a DJ to spin tune s. With a live DJ, the atten dee s can all dance to the sam e mu sic fro m the safety of their ho m e s an d they can even make so ng reque sts via Zo o m. Ju st like a regu lar costu m e party, ju dge s can view the dance r s an d award pr ize s for be st costu m e, be st dance mo ve s, scar ie st make-up an d any othe r categ or y yo u can dream up. Co nsi de r setting up seve ral virtual dance partie s for diffe rent g ro ups an d inte re sts – ki ds, teens, single s, sen ior s, h ip ho p fans, polka fans, co untr y mu sic lo ve r s, etc.

4. Community Costume Contest

Eve r yo ne fro m babie s to sen ior s like s getting dre sse d up at Hallo ween! Help them sho w off their costu m e s by spo nsor ing a virtual co m mun ity costu m e co nte st w ith pr ize s fro m lo cal bu sine sse s. Th is can be co ordinate d thro ug h the Chambe r of Co m m e rce or ju st by co ntacting othe r lo cal bu sine sse s. Ask the bu sine sse s to do nate small pr ize s – such as g ift ce rtificate s, lo w-cost g iveaways, or free intro ductor y se r vice s –an d gathe r them in pr ize baskets. Create categ or ie s for ch ildren, teens, a du lts, an d sen ior s an d offe r mu ltiple pr ize s in each categ or y, such as M ost Or ig inal, Funn ie st or Be st Use of Makeup. Create as many categ or ie s as yo u can w ith the pr ize s yo u colle ct fro m bu sine sse s. Set a dea dline for peo ple to post photos of themselve s in costu m e an d tell all the bu sine sse s that offe re d pr ize s to pro mote the co nte st o n their social m e dia. Fin d so m e lo cal celebr itie s to ju dge the entr ie s an d make a big deal o ut of ann o uncing the w inne r s. Ho pefu lly yo ur lo cal m e dia w ill pick up the stor y!

5. Reverse Halloween Parade

Hallo ween para de s are a fun part of many co m mun ity celebratio ns. Th is year they can still happen – ju st in reve r se! He re ’ s ho w it works: Eve r y bu sine ss or organ izatio n that wo u ld have n or mally participate d in the Hallo ween para de is enco urage d to create the float or exh ibit they wo u ld have create d dur ing a n or mal year. Then o n the day of the para de, they dr ive the float to a large parking lot or w i de street an d park it. Peo ple w ho want to view the para de dr ive slo wly past each float – peo ple o n the float can even toss can dy to them – an d take it all in, ju st like they wo u ld if the floats we re dr iving past them. Of co ur se, eve r yo ne involve d sho u ld be enco urage d to wear a costu m e an d get fu lly into the expe r ience!

6. Drive-by Zombie Walk

Zo mbie walks mig ht n ot happen the n or mal way dur ing COVID…

but the un dea d can’t be ke pt un de rg ro un d! Pro mote a “ zo mbie day” –

maybe the Saturday pr ior to Hallo ween – in w h ich zo mbie s an d zo mbie familie s cavort in their fro nt yards an d fans dr ive by in their car s to get a scare! Start the ball rolling by holding a Zo o m worksho p o n creating zo mbie makeup a week or two in a dvance. (Be sure to inclu de hospital masks as part of the zo mbie lo ok, of co ur se!) Then ask all of the un dea d to reg iste r in a dvance so that do w nloa dable maps can be create d to sho w fans w he re the zo mbie s w ill be o n the appo inte d day an d tim e. Fans w ill lo ve dr iving by an d getting a so cially distance d dose of the un dea d, an d they can vote o n their favor ite, or scar ie st, zo mbie s!

7. Halloween Décor Contest

Hallo ween de corating is unaffe cte d by COVID! Create a co m mun ity Hallo ween décor co nte st to enco urage de corator s. Offe r disco unts

o n Hallo ween décor in yo ur sho p an d offe r free n o -to uch delive r y for peo ple w ho do n’t want to co m e into yo ur store. Maybe offe r a Zo o m worksho p o n creating Hallo ween décor an d de corating for the seaso n. Create an 8.5 x 11 poste r (w ith yo ur store log o) that says, “ Vote for Our Ho u se in the Hallo ween Décor Co nte st by texting xxx!” Sen d a PDF of the poste r to eve r y ho u sehold that wants to participate in the co nte st. They can pr int o ut the poste r an d put it in a w in do w or o n a yard sign. Pro mote the event in yo ur co m mun ity an d tell re si dents to dr ive by the ho m e s to view the décor an d vote o n their favor ite!

8. Scary Movie Night

Since few peo ple are g o ing to mo vie theate r s the se days, a fun co m mun ity Hallo ween event – or se r ie s of events – co u ld be a Hallo ween mo vie n ig ht. If yo ur co m mun ity has an empty parking lot or field, yo u mig ht be able to set up a temporar y dr ive-in theate r so that atten dee s can stay safely in the car s. But it’s more likely that yo u’ll have to do th is in a park. In orde r to safely sprea d the familie s, create circle s that are 8 or 9 feet apart so familie s or fr ien d g ro ups can sit at safe distance s fro m othe r s. M o vie s sho w n to g ro ups require a spe cial license — o ne co mpany that pro vi de s them is Swank.co m an d costs range $375 to $450 pe r mo vie – an d yo u’ll nee d a quality proje ctor, screen an d so un d system. If yo u do more than o ne n ig ht, cho ose diffe rent type s of mo vie s for each n ig ht – an imate d for the family n ig ht, scar y for the teens, cu lt classic for the a du lts. M ost important, tell eve r yo ne to dre ss in costu m e!

9. Jack-o-Lantern Contest

Noth ing says Happy Hallo ween as much as a jack-o -lante r n! Create a pu mpkin-car ving co nte st in yo ur co m mun ity an d make it 100 pe rcent so cially distant by asking entrants to simply submit photos of their jack-o -lante r ns (w ith them in costu m e be si de the pu mpkin, of co ur se!). Have a panel of lo cal artists or craftspeo ple ju dge the jack-o -lante r ns an d g ive g ift ce rtificate s as pr ize s. Make sure the re are seve ral categ or ie s – scar ie st, funn ie st, most artistic, etc. – an d be sure to sen d photos of the w inne r s to yo ur lo cal news organ izatio ns.

10. Halloween Photo Scavenger Hunt

Get yo ur co m mun ity involve d w ith yo ur lo cal attractio ns by holding a Hallo ween Photo Scavenge r Hunt. He re ’ s ho w th is works: Walk or dr ive thro ug h yo ur co m mun ity an d take picture s of inte re sting th ing s that are Hallo ween relate d (even slig htly!) such as garg o yle s o n building s, scar y alleys, old ho u se s, etc. Fin d a do zen or so of those, then post them o n yo ur Facebo ok page or web site. Tell peo ple the gene ral geography of the lo catio ns – such as do w nto w n – an d ask them to tr y to fin d each o ne an d take a picture of it, prefe rably w ith them stan ding in fro nt in costu m e! Eve r yo ne w ho submits a photo of eve r y item o n the list gets a small g ift ce rtificate for Hallo ween décor, costu m e s or makeup in yo ur sho p.

Halloween Safety in Your Store

When cu sto m e r s visit yo ur store to buy Hallo ween costu m e s, yo u’ll have to make sure they do so safely. He re are so m e tips:

- Tr y to re duce last-min ute buye r s by offe r ing spe cial deals to sho p ear lie r in the seaso n. Tr y a “de clin ing disco unt co upo n ” that is worth 15 pe rcent off in Se ptembe r, 10 pe rcent off in ear ly Octobe r, but ze ro pe rcent off in late Octobe r. Eve r y cu sto m e r w ho buys a costu m e in ear ly Octobe r is o ne le ss cu sto m e r cro w ding yo ur store o n Octobe r 30.

- Co nsi de r offe r ing a spe cial deal to peo ple renting costu m e s that enco urage s them to pick it up ear ly an d kee p it until No vembe r. For example, o ne NCA m embe r lets rental cu sto m e r s w ho pay ju st 50% more than the n or mal rental kee p the costu m e fro m late Se ptembe r until ear ly No vembe r. Th is re duce s the r u sh of cu sto m e r s o n the last few days before Hallo ween. When the costu m e s are retur ne d, quarantine them for at least 48 ho ur s an d then clean them ho w yo u n or mally wo u ld.

- Offe r ho m e delive r y if yo u can. Th is mig ht increase bu sine ss, an d for sure w ill re duce the n u mbe r of cu sto m e r s in yo ur store.

- If yo u sell make-up, inve st in so m e disposable palette pape r s an d provi de daubs of sample s to cu sto m e r s o n the pape r s, rathe r than allo w ing them to to uch the sample package s themselve s.

- Do n’t let cu sto m e r s tr y o n masks or costu m e s, but increase the n u mbe r of mannequins in yo ur store an d offe r to change them at the cu sto m e r s ’ reque st. Or de signate an emplo yee as the official mask an d costu m e mo del.

- If the re ’ s so m e reaso n that cu sto m e r s MUST tr y o n masks, g ive them a disposable line r to wear un de r neath (Zag o ne Stu dios an d M or r is Costu m e s offe r lo w-cost disposable line r s de signe d to be wor n un de r neath costu m e masks).

- Naturally, follo w the proto col eve r y store doe s – require all cu sto m e r s to wear masks, sprea d them o ut 6 feet apart at the cash reg iste r, limit the total n u mbe r of cu sto m e r s in yo ur store, an d disinfe ct frequently.

If yo u follo w the se tips, yo u w ill min imize the r isk of sprea ding COVID in yo ur store. An d cu sto m e r s sho u ld feel co nfi dent sho pping w ith yo u!

Costumes that Naturally Use Face Masks

Eve r yo ne sho u ld be wear ing a m e dical mask at Hallo ween th is year, of co ur se. Lots of g reat i deas have em e rge d that allo w peo ple to incor porate a mask into their costu m e, such as face masks that lo ok like an imal face s an d masks that feature a scar y mo uth. But so m e costu m e s naturally g o w ith masks or othe r w ise feature a co ve re d face, such as the se:

Do ctor/Nur se Zo mbie Scientist/Re searche r

Hazardo u s Waste Disposal Expe rt Mu m my Zor ro

Bank Robbe r/Ban dit Co wbo y Scuba Dive r Ghost

Supe r he ro Fireman Phanto m of the Ope ra

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Mor ris Costumes