Halloween activities across the Grants Pass area will give families opportunities to celebrate Friday and Saturday, with a school trunk-or-treat, an afternoon gathering downtown and an evening candy stop in Merlin.
The schedule begins Friday, October 30, at Hidden Valley High School, where a trunk-or-treat starts at 5:30 p.m. along the walkway leading down to the football field. Families can bring children in costume and remain for the football game afterward. An ending time for the trunk-or-treat has not been announced.
On Saturday, October 31, American Legion Grants Pass Post 28 will hold its Halloween Spooktacular from 2 to 6 p.m. at 206 NW F Street. The afternoon schedule offers a Halloween activity before evening celebrations begin elsewhere in the area.
The Grants Pass/Merlin Moose Lodge will host its annual trunk-or-treat Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at 330 Merlin Avenue in Merlin. Participants are welcome to dress in costume. The lodge gathering provides an organized evening stop for families celebrating north of Grants Pass.
The individual event schedules apply to those locations. A citywide starting or ending time for neighborhood door-to-door trick-or-treating has not been confirmed.
Grants Pass does have a standing youth curfew covering the overnight hours. Under Municipal Code 5.60.010, minors may not idle, wander, stroll or play on public streets, sidewalks, parks, playgrounds or other unsupervised places between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless an exception applies.
The ordinance allows exceptions when a minor is accompanied by an adult, parent, guardian or another person having care and custody of the minor. It also provides exceptions for legitimate business, schoolwork or employment that makes being in those places necessary. Parents and guardians may not permit a minor in their care to violate the provision.
The curfew section contains no Halloween-specific exception. Its 11 p.m. starting time is an overnight restriction for minors, rather than an established closing time for trick-or-treating.
With families and children expected to be out celebrating, Grants Pass Police have also emphasized pedestrian safety heading into the weekend. Officers conducted a pedestrian crossing enforcement effort Thursday, October 29, continuing until 2 p.m., to encourage safe driving and increase awareness at crossings.
Drivers are being reminded to reduce speed, watch for people walking and yield to pedestrians as required by law. Pedestrians should use designated crossings, remain visible and make sure approaching drivers see them before entering the roadway.
Saturday’s scheduled gatherings extend from the American Legion’s 2 p.m. opening through the Moose Lodge’s 8 p.m. conclusion. Families attending either event should follow that location’s announced hours, while those celebrating in Grants Pass neighborhoods should keep the city’s standing curfew requirements in mind.