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Trick or treaters slated to haunt Mid-Ohio Valley streets

PARKERSBURG — Halloween is on a Monday this year, but costumed kids in many local communities will be seeking door-to-door candy contributions the Saturday before.

Trick or treat is slated for Saturday, Oct. 29, in Parkersburg, Vienna, Williamstown, Belpre and several other Mid-Ohio Valley locales. Part of that is an effort to coordinate between municipalities to keep the events on the same night.

Otherwise, kids might make trick-or-treating a multi-night event, which drives up numbers and raises safety concerns, some officials said.

“If you don’t, I’ll go from 30 to 50 (kids) to 200,” Belpre Mayor Mike Lorentz said.

Belpre usually settles on the same date as Wood County cities and Marietta, which set its trick-or-treat date as the last Saturday in October by ordinance years ago.

Marietta Mayor Joe Matthews wasn’t in office when the statute was passed but said he likes it.

“Weeknights, kids have to go to school” the next day, he said.

Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp said Wednesdays aren’t a good night because some families have church, while Fridays are reserved by many for football.

Residents and officials in other places shy away from the weekend. Spencer and a few other towns will have trick or treat on Monday, Oct. 31.

After all, that is Halloween, Spencer Mayor Terry Williams said, but there are other factors.

“Kids are so busy already on weekends with so many other activities … I didn’t have anybody who didn’t want to do it on Monday,” he said, noting Roane County and the Village of Reedy were also trick-or-treating then.

Other towns set their date with an eye toward what’s going on nearby. Grantsville City Clerk Tina Whytsell said their trick or treat is Friday, Oct. 28, because there’s a haunted house in nearby Arnoldsburg the following night. That way, “our kids could go to both,” she said.

Trick or Treat dates and times:

* Belpre — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.

* Beverly — Sunday, Oct. 30, 6:30-8 p.m.

* Cairo — Monday, Oct. 31, 5:30-7 p.m.

* Elizabeth — Monday, Oct. 31, 6-7 p.m.

* Grantsville — Friday, Oct. 28, 6-8 p.m.

* Harrisville — Monday, Oct. 31, 5:30-7 p.m.

* Lowell — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.

* Lower Salem — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.

* Marietta — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6:30-8 p.m.

* New Matamoras — Saturday, Oct. 29, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

* North Hills — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.

* Parkersburg — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.

* Pennsboro — Saturday, Oct. 29, 5:30-7 p.m.

* Ravenswood — Monday, Oct. 31, 6-8 p.m.

* Ripley — Monday, Oct. 31, 6-7:30 p.m.

* St. Marys — Saturday, Oct. 29, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

* Spencer — Monday, Oct. 31, 6-7:30 p.m.

* Vienna — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6-7:30 p.m.

* West Union — Monday, Oct. 31, 5:30-7 p.m.

* Williamstown — Saturday, Oct. 29, 6:30-8 p.m.

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