Looking for a way to give your children a treat this Halloween — without putting their health and safety at risk?
Check out the Yarmouth Halloween Spooktacular event — a collaboration between the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce, Yarmouth Recreation and the Yarmouth Drive-In. The event — set for the afternoon and early evening of Halloween at the Drive-in on Route 28 — will feature costumes and a sing-along with the popular Toe Jam Puppet Band, trick-or-treats and a Halloween movie.
The cost is $15 per carload, with a maximum of six people per vehicle.
The idea came about via an eerie coincidence said Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce Marketing, Communications, and Events Director Jennifer Werner. She explained that the Chamber and Yarmouth Recreation were brainstorming about a way to provide safe Halloween experiences for Yarmouth youngsters and were considering a town-owned facility for the event. But in mid planning, they were contacted by representatives of the Drive-in, who also wanted to offer a safe Halloween event so the three organizations decided to partner together.
The Oct. 31 fun begins at 3:30 — as the Yarmouth Drive-in gates open and cars begin arriving and parking, Werner said. From 3:30 until around 4:15 as cars park and settle into their vehicle suites, the Toe Jam Puppet Band will perform live on stage — with all the action streamed to the Drive-in’s towering high-def screens.
As cars arrive, the children will all receive a gift packet containing coloring books, stickers, and temporary tattoos to keep them busy while vehicles settle into their spaces, Werner said.
The Yarmouth Drive-in was planned with social distancing in mind, and each parking area has ample room for remaining at least 6 feet from other patrons. Attendees are required to wear COVID-19 approved masks and to stay in their vehicle suites unless they are using the restroom. There will also be a mobile video camera operator roaming around the Drive-in grounds, capturing the children’s costumes and streaming them to jumbotrons — like you often see at sporting events, Werner explained.
Trick-or-treating will begin around 4:30 p.m., with the assistance of volunteers dressed in costumes and wearing COVID-19 masks, along with disposable gloves. The volunteers will roam from car to car, passing out candy to the children. Werner said the treats will likely be generous handfuls of candy, under the assumption that children will not be going out for their traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating. Werner said all the candy was purchased by the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce to ensure that it is all individually wrapped and that nothing could be tampered with.
Around 5 p.m., when the trick-or-treating has ended, the Drive-in will show the animated children’s movie, Hotel Transylvania.
The 91-minute, animated film features is rated PG and features the voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Fran Drescher, David Spade and others. Werner said the Chamber reviewed multiple titles and settled on the most child-friendly option.
The movie should end before 7 p.m., which will allow families ample time for any other Halloween activities they might want to pursue, Werner said.
Find more information about the Yarmouth Halloween Spooktacular and to purchase tickets visit the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce website.
Andy Tomolonis is a nonfiction author, travel writer and multimedia journalist.