The Roanoke Rapids Parks and Recreation Department is kicking off Halloween festivities starting on October 27, said Director Kelly Daughtry.
Starting on the 27th, which aligns with a planned city school system teacher workday, the department will have pumpkin painting from 10 a.m. to noon at T.J. Davis. Registration for children aged 5 to 10 can be found on RecDesk.
The following day, which is another teacher workday, the department will hold an archery academy for children aged 10 to 15. That event is also at T.J. Davis from 10 a.m. to noon.
The city received a grant from USA Archery to hold the program, which will be offered by two certified instructors.
Also on October 28, the Chichester Memorial Library will have trick-or-treat from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. with games, candy, and prizes.
On October 29, there will be a Halloween social at the Jo Story Senior Center, beginning at 3 p.m. There’ll be refreshments and games. Chaloner Middle School students will assist with the costume contest.
On Halloween, the department will hold its regular Toddler Time at T.J. Davis. It begins at 10 a.m. and will feature candy and other treats. Parents are encouraged to dress toddlers in costumes for a contest.
Halloween evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Roanoke Rapids Optimist Club will hold its annual Halloween Carnival for children 12 and under at T.J. Davis. There will be games, candy, a costume contest, and a selfie station. "We encourage everybody to participate in that," Daughtry said.
Additional Halloween evening events
At Chaloner Recreation Center Halloween evening, there will be a party from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with refreshments and games.
From 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the recreation and police departments are partnering for the annual Trunk-or-Treat. The event will be held on Carolina Street between Fifth and Sixth streets.
"We would love to have some more trunks," Daughtry said. "We are encouraging individuals and businesses in the community to give us a call."
People interested in participating may call the recreation department at 252-533-2847 extension 3 or the police department at 252-533-2810.
"It is a huge event, so the more trunks the merrier," said Assistant Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ryan Newsome.
Daughtry added, "We want to make sure people know we’re providing lots of safe opportunities for children in the community to go trick-or-treating."
Last year, there were probably a thousand people at T.J. Davis between the Optimist carnival and the Trunk-or-Treat event, Daughtry said.
Newsome emphasized the focus on safety: "We know children get excited at Halloween so they’re out running around, and if they see candy, they’re going to run to it. Trunk-or-Treats are a really good way to provide them a safe opportunity. We’ll close the gates at Carolina Street and then we block it off with the fire truck so we know no traffic could come through. It keeps a lot of vehicle activity out of the way and children out of the way of vehicles.”
