MENDOCINO Co., 10/17/20 — Mendocino County remains one of nine counties in the highest tier of California’s COVID-19 public health guidelines due to the ongoing widespread number of cases in the county, which means that only certain Halloween activities are currently recommended by the public health officer, and gatherings are still prohibited outside of current household/stable groups.
Mendocino County’s public health guidelines for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos activities can be found here. Due to the ongoing pandemic within the county, gatherings are not currently permitted outside existing household or stable groups according to the current public health order, and traditional Halloween activities are not recommended to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Outdoor activities where social distancing can not be maintained should be avoided.
Here’s a list of some of the socially-distanced events taking place in Mendocino County, in Willits, Laytonville, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley, Hopland, Ukiah, Boonville, Comptche, and Fort Bragg — if we’re missing anything, let us know in the comments or by email at [email protected] so we can add it in.
Brooktrails: The Brooktrails Fire Department will be hosting a “trunk or treat” event on Halloween night, October 31, from 5 – 8 p.m. Here’s the full announcement:
Who: Both Brooktrails Fire Department and Little Lake Fire Protection District have been approved by The City of Willits and Brooktrails Community Services District to hold a Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat Halloween Event while taking the necessary Covid19 precautions.
What: Fire Department hosted Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat Event (Covid19 Edition)
When: Halloween 31st of October from 5pm-8pm (or when out of candy)
Where: Brooktrails Fire Department Drive-Thru will be held at 24860 Birch St. Vehicles will enter from Birch St and Sherwood Rd and exit Brooktrails Dr and Sherwood Rd. Little Lake Fire Protection District Drive-Thru will be held at 1575 Baechtel Rd. Vehicles will enter from Baechtel Rd and E Hill Rd and exit Baechtel Rd and Main St.
Why: With Covid19 and the recent Wildfires so close to home, everyone’s lives have been thrown into exhausting turmoil with daily social distancing, kids doing classes through Zoom, and the cancellation of many holidays, birthdays, and other social gatherings. Many members within both Fire Departments feel that it is necessary and within the best interest of the mental, emotional, and social health of the community’s children to host this modified Halloween Trunk or Treat Event.
How: Any candy donated to or purchased by the Fire Departments must remain in their original bags from the store. Firefighters will sanitize the bags prior to opening the bags. The candy will be evenly distributed into candy bags that the fire departments have purchased. Vehicles will be directed to a lane to receive the Trunk or Treat bags by firefighters. Everyone must remain in their vehicles and when pulling up to the candy table, inform the firefighter of how many children are in the vehicle, receive their bags of candy, and enjoy the decorations that others may have put out.To arrange donation drop offs, please contact Captain So at 459-4441.
There are also a number of local businesses hosting drive-through Halloween events, including Sparetime Supply. Let us know and we’ll add more to the list.
Laytonville: Drive through event at Harwood Hall on Halloween, October 31 from 5 – 7 p.m. with fortune tellers, merchant’s raffle, costume contest, games, and more — flyer here.
Potter Valley: Socially-distanced trick-or-treating will take place at the Potter Valley Rodeo grounds from 5:30 – 9 p.m. on Halloween, October 31. More details here.
Redwood Valley: Drive-through “trunk or treat” event happening at the Redwood Valley Grange, from 6 – 8 p.m., with contests for decorated cars and carved pumpkins. More details here.
Hopland: Halloween drive-through event at the Hopland Cemetery, with a complementary candy bag for kids, on Halloween, October 31, from 4 – 6:30 p.m. More details here.
Ukiah: Entries from the Great Pumpkin Weigh-off are located outside the Ukiah Civic Center until November 1st, so you can check out the variety of large pumpkins submitted. The winner was weighed this week, coming in at 644 pounds (see photos here).
- A virtual “Witches and Wheels” event will take place at the Great Redwood Trail on October 31 — take a walk or ride on the trail, and then share your photos with the group! More details here.
- A walk/drive-through “haunt” organized by the City of Ukiah will take place at different nights from October 23 through October 31 — recommended for ages 13 and up. More details here.
- The City of Ukiah is hosting two different free drive-in movie events for Halloween, on October 30 and October 31, featuring The Nightmare Before Christmas and Ghostbusters. The October 30 event is currently full.
Here’s the details, and the flyer in the Facebook post:
We will be doing 2 different showings, Friday, 10/30 – A Nightmare Before Christmas ***FULL***, Saturday, 10/31 – Ghostbusters
The drive-in will be located at theUkiah Sports Complex (Softball Fields off the 101 North Freeway) 905 City Well Rd, Ukiah, CA 95482
Each child will receive a goodie bag at the event.
Costumes still encouraged!
Gates open at 6 pm. Movies start at dusk.
Spaces are limited. Please choose 1 movie. Pre-register your vehicle at ukiah.recdesk.com No walk-ups at event
Boonville: A drive-through Halloween parade will take place at the fairgrounds in Boonville from 5 – 8 p.m. on Halloween, October 31, with costumes and decorated cars. More details about how to get involved here.
Comptche: A socially distanced drive-through Halloween event will be taking place at the Comptche Fire House at 12 p.m. — bring your decorated car, pumpkin, and costumes! More details here.
Fort Bragg: The City of Fort Bragg, Mendocino Unified School District, and the Mendocino Coast Recreation District are organizing a drive through trick-or-treat event on Halloween, October 31, from 1 – 4 p.m. The event is free and follows previous parade routes.
More details and the map available here:
The Fort Bragg/Mendocino Lions Club is holding a number of Halloween-themed contests, including best decorated pumpkin, and best decorated yard. Entries are due by October 29, see more details below. There will also be a drive-through trick-or-treat event at the Fort Bragg Lions Hall on October 31, with a “less scary” portion earlier in the day for younger children.
