Calendar of Events

October 16 – National Boss Day
October 31 - Halloween

 

 

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HALLOWEEN SAFETY

Everyone celebrates Halloween in their own spooky ways, whether it is trick or treating, Halloween parties, or putting on your own yard haunt/haunted house. Please be aware of these safety tips to make sure you Halloween is marked as a success and not have any injuries.

 

Safety Tips for Kids

ü  Help your child pick out or make a costume that will be safe. Make it fire proof, the eye holes should be large enough for good peripheral vision.

ü  If you set jack-o-lanterns on your porch with candles in them, make sure that they are far enough out of the way so that kids costumes won’t accidentally be set on fire.

ü  Make sure that if your child is carrying a prop, such as a scythe, butcher knife or pitchfork, that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on.

ü  Kids always want to help with the pumpkin carving. Small children shouldn’t be allowed to use a sharp knife to cut the top or the face. There are many kits available that come with tiny saws that work better then knives and are safer, although you can be cut by them as well. It is best to let the kids clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it, which you can carve for them.

ü  Teach your kids basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, watching both ways before crossing streets and crossing when the lights tell you to, will help make them safer when they are out Trick or Treating.

 

Safety Tips for Adults

ü  Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren’t going with them.

ü  The best bet is to make sure that an adult is going with them. If you can’t take them, see if another parent or a teen aged sibling can go along.

ü  Know what other activities a child may be attending, such as parties, school or mall functions.

ü  Make sure you set a time that they should be home by. Make sure they know how important it is for them to be home on time.

ü  Explain to the children the difference between tricks and vandalism. Throwing eggs at a house may seem like fun but they need to know the other side of the coin as well, clean up and damages can ruin Halloween. If they are caught vandalizing, make them clean up the mess they’ve made.

ü  Explain to your kids that animal cruelty is not acceptable. Kids may know this on their own but peer pressure can be a bad thing. Make sure they know that harming animals is not only morally wrong but punishable by law and will not be tolerated.

 

Safety Tips for Parties

ü  If using dry ice in a punch bowl, make sure that the person serving keeps any dry ice chips out of drinks! It can cause severe injury if ingested.

ü  If you are holding your party in your house, make sure that you move any breakable pieces of furniture or knick-knacks to another room where they can’t get broken. A forgotten heirloom vase that hits the floor could ruin the night for you.

ü  To keep things moving for either an adult party or child’s party, make sure that you have some games, like scavenger hunt or a murder mystery planned in advance.

ü  If you are planning a party for your kids and their friends, see if you can get some of the other parents to help out with the planning, baking and what ever else needs to be done. Make a block party out of it!

ü  Whip up a batch of Halloween cupcakes the day before, have the kids help you out. Any treats or party food that can be made in advance is always a big help!

ü  Having a pumpkin carving party on the night before Halloween can be a great way to start off festivities. Either adults, kids or both, you can have a wonderful time and get all your pumpkins carved at the same time!

ü  Set up a table with treats, punch and goodies in your front yard if you live in a small neighborhood. Invite the children and their parents to stop by for refreshments, you’ll start a small party right in your front yard! Just make sure you set up a nice yard haunt, too!

 

Safety Tips for Trick or Treating

ü  Children should go out during daylight hours only unless accompanied by a responsible adult.

ü  Plan a safe route so parents know where their older kids will be all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure that your child is old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves.

ü  Let your children know not to cut through back alleys and fields. Make sure they know to stay in populated places and don’t go off the beaten track. Stay in well lighted areas.

ü  Stop at only familiar houses in your neighborhood unless they are accompanied by an adult.

ü  Small children should never be allowed to go out alone on Halloween. Make sure an older sibling is with them.

ü  Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you.

ü  Instruct your child to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car.

ü  Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.

ü  Let them know that they should stay together as a group if going out to Trick or Treat without an adult.

 

Safety Tips for Pets

ü  As much as your dog or cat may beg for some of your Halloween candy, always remembers that chocolate is deadly to them in any amount.

ü  If you work in a pet store, remember that this is the time of year that can be deadly for black cats. Some sick people who play at being what they’ll call a Satanist will buy them to “sacrifice”. If you can, don’t take any black cats or sell them during October.

ü  The wrappers, such as tin foil, can get stuck in your pets digestive tract and make them ill or cause death. There are plenty of recipes for making homemade dog and cat treats.

ü  Dogs can have lethal tails, wagging all over the place. Don’t leave any lighted candles or Jack-O-Lanterns where they could be knocked over by a swinging tail or by a curious cat. Not only could your pet start a fire but they could severely burn themselves in the process.

ü  If you are going to dress your pet in a costume, keep in mind that unless the dog or cat is extremely receptive to this kind of thing, you could be causing it discomfort and stress. Some animals don’t mind at all but others do not want to be bothered with this kind of thing. They will be under enough stress with the festivities going on outside and people at the door constantly to don’t cause them any more nervousness then you have to. You may love to dress in costume but then, you are not a dog or cat.

ü  If you put a mask of some type on your animal, make sure that the eye holes are big enough for them to see peripherally. Animals depend on their vision to let them know what ‘s going on and even the nicest dog can get snippy if he can’t see what’s around him. In fact masks are not a good idea.

ü  If you are having an indoor party, make sure that you put your dog or cat in a room where they won’t be disturbed. Unless your pet is ultra friendly and doesn’t mind loud noises, music and lots of people you should keep them separate for the night. Also, be careful your cat or dog does not dart out through the open door as you hand out candy. Best bet is to just put them in a room with some food and water for the night and check on them once in a while to let them know everything is fine.

 

 

 

 Halloween Superstitions
 

Here are some Halloween Superstitions. Are they real? Are they fake?  If you are daring, test them and find out.

"  Burn a candle inside a jack-o-lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits at bay.

"  If a candle suddenly goes out by itself on Halloween, as though by breath or wind, it is believed that a ghost has come to call.

"  Always burn new candles on Halloween to ensure the best of luck. It is not a good idea to burn Halloween candles at any other time of the year. It may bring bad luck or strange things will happen to you, over which you will have no control.

"  Gazing into a flame of a candle on Halloween night will enable you to peer into the future.

"  Girls who carry a lamp to a spring of water on this night can see their future husband in the reflection.

"  It is believed that if a person lights a new orange colored candle at midnight on Halloween and lets it burn until sunrise, he or she will be the recipient of good luck.

"  If you hear footsteps trailing close behind you on Halloween night, do not turn around to see who it is, for it may be Death himself! To look Death in the eye, according to ancient folklore, is a sure way to hasten your own demise.

"  To cast a headless shadow or not shadow at all is still believed by many folks in the United States and Europe to be an omen of death in the course of the next year.

"  The old Celtic custom was to light great bonfires on Halloween and after these had burned out to make a circle of the ashes of each fire. Within this circle, and near the circumference, each member of the various families that had helped to make a fire would place a pebble. If, on the next day, any stone was displaced, or had been damaged, it was considered to be an indication that the one to whom the stone belonged would die within twelve months.

"  According to an old English folk belief, you will invite bad luck into your home if you allow a fire to burn out on Halloween. To remedy the situation, the fire must be rekindled by a lighted sod brought from the home of a priest.

If a bat flies around a house three times, it is considered to be a death omen.

A person born on Halloween can both see and talk to spirits.

Knocking on wood keeps the bad luck away.

If you see a spider on Halloween, it could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.

Put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night to meet a witch.

"  You should walk around your home three times backwards and counterclockwise before sunset on Halloween to ward off evil spirits.

I In Britain, people believed that the Devil was a nut-gatherer. At Halloween, nuts were used as magic charms.