LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — On Thursday night, ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and other creatures will be trick-or-treating across northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
While those little ghosts, princesses, cowboys, and more will be walking around neighborhoods looking for something sweet, the Hazleton City Police Department wants to make sure everyone stays safe. Public information officer Jessica Surkin has some tips before leaving your house.
"You want to make sure that it's a well-fitting costume for the child. It's flame-resistant. You might come across, you know, the jack-o-lanterns or the open flames from people handing out candy. You want to make sure if they're wearing a mask, they want to be able to see completely no obstructions," Surkin says.
If you or your child is using face paint, Officer Surkin says to make sure it's non-toxic and test it on the skin before applying it.
"We don't want a child to have an allergic reaction while they're out trick or treating, and maybe you panic slightly, or something happens, and you don't know how to get to the hospital because you're walking and you have to call 911. Wait for the ambulance and things like that. We want to make sure that that child is going to have a great time."
Another thing the police department says to do is avoid dark houses, even if they look safe.
"You don't know what's going to be on that porch or behind that door when you knock on it, and it is dark. So we ask that you stay with houses in well-lit areas and that the light on their porch is on," Surkin says.
The police department says they expect many trick-or-treaters to be out and about with the warmer-than-usual weather. They ask inexperienced drivers to stay off the road and other drivers to take extra precautions.
"Kids are excited, like I said about Halloween. They get to show off their costumes. They don't have to wear a jacket over it. There's a high risk for those children to just kind of dart out into the road. I mean, even if they have a cellphone. They're facedown in the phone, not looking when they cross the intersection, so please just use extra caution when driving around the city today," said Surkin.
You can find the trick-or-treat schedule for your city or county by clicking the city or county below.
Trick-or-treating schedules for:
Williamsport