MILWAUKEE — Halloween is back after places like Bay View in Milwaukee canceled trick or treating last year. Jamie Beauchamp and Andy Reid put together one of the biggest Halloween displays every year at their home at 2943 S. Clement in Milwaukee. This year their A & J Halloween House is a crazy clown circus theme.
“I have a feeling that we are going to break records with the amount of people that are going to be here,” Reid said.
Industry groups also think Halloween is going to be record breaking year for sales. They expect spending for candy, costumes and decorations to be between 10 to 11 billion dollars. That is up 25 percent from last year.
Reid is ready for it when Bay View trick or treats on Saturday night.
“The turnout for the display has been bigger overall so we are assuming trick-or-treat is going to be even bigger. We average around 1,500 kids and you add in all the guardians and so I think we are going to be somewhere between four and 6,000 people here tomorrow,” Reid said.
However, not everyone thinks the number of trick or treaters will be back to pre-pandemic levels.
A survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research say around 16 percent of adults plan to take their kids trick or treating. Last year, that was around 12 percent. In 2019, that number was around 25 percent.
The head of infection control at UW Health, Dr. Nasia Safdar, says people should feel relatively safe trick or treating, but it is important to remember there is still a pandemic going on.
“It is important that people make sure that you're not out trick or treating if you have any symptoms of a respiratory illness, however mild they may be,” Dr.Safdar said.
Dr. Safdar says the people might want to consider leaving out a candy bowl instead of interacting with young children who cannot be vaccinated. Those include people at high risk for COVID and those who are unvaccinated.
“I think it is important for as many people to be masked as possible, so certainly those who are handing out candy should be masked and you know you can pretty much incorporate a mask in any Halloween outfit.,” Dr.Safdar said.
Reid and Beauchamp are ready to have some safe Halloween fun tomorrow as trick or treaters descend on their house.
“I’m over the moon excited for tomorrow,” said Reid.
“Can’t wait, can’t wait to scare some kids this year,” said Beauchamp.
A couple other suggestions from Dr. Safdar for people trick-or-treating, don’t forget the pack the hand sanitizer. Parents should hand sanitize kids every few blocks and should not forget to either use it or have your kids wash their hands before before they start eating the candy.
