Local churches, colleges provide safe alternatives to trick-or-treating

Local families will have no shortage of options when it comes to entertaining their children this Halloween.

Churches and other organizations around Fulton and Callaway County are providing a variety of activities ranging from trunk-or-treats and festivals to a basketball tournament.

Isabel Martinez with Westminster College's Campus Activities Board (CAB) said the school will be hosting its annual Spooky Sidewalks event 4-6 p.m. Thursday. The event will include games, face painting, cookie decorating, temporary tattoos and, of course, candy.

"(CAB) tries to bring Westminster students closer with the Callaway community, so we throw events for both," Martinez said. "This was important to us this year because the downtown fall festival is not being held (on Halloween) this year, so we wanted to make it bigger. It's a safe way to take your kids trick-or-treating."

A number of area churches also are holding trunk-or-treat events for those same reasons, including First Baptist Church in Fulton, which is putting on its annual Kid's Fest 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.