The Lights All Around Us

October 8, 2020

COVID has forced families out of so many of the normal rhythms of life: It's been especially sad watching so many kids struggle through a stressful beginning of school, only to be faced next with the potential cancellation of Halloween. But then, something amazing happened. Lots of amazing somethings. 

The Ellms Family Farm in Ballston Spa, NY is transforming their annual Pumpkin Glow into a Pumpkin Glow & Light Show Drive-Thru Experience. Old Bethpage Village Restoration on Long Island is offering Blaze, a self-guided, touch-free experience with thousands of hand-carved pumpkins, spectacular outdoor displays, and an original soundtrack to synchronized lighting.

Turns out that the adversity of COVID has created fertile conditions for immense ingenuity. During the summer, the creators in our communities started reshaping Halloween into a safer experience to conform to current guidelines without sacrificing the spirit of the holiday. Even I, who so love to keep track of people who get stuff done, couldn't predict just how far they'd be able to go.

San Bruno, CA is hosting a Jinxed Joyride where residents will dress up their kids and their cars. The American Airlines Center in Dallas has a Drive Boo Halloween. A car wash in Medina, OH has re-invented itself as a Haunted Car Wash. There's an Abandoned Drive-Thru near Minneapolis.

It's almost as though the severe restrictions have freed us up to ignore "what we've always done" and given free rein to the imaginations of the makers and creators.

The Gulf of Georgia Cannery in Vancouver presents Once Upon a Haunted Sea. Indian Trail, NC is replacing its annual Spooktacular with HalloWINGO, a Halloween Bingo in a local park. Mountain Ridge Adventure in Schenectady, NY is offering not-for-the-faint-of-heart Zombie Zip Lining.

...And the list goes on and on. To date, over 100 such experiences have been posted to KidsOutAndAbout calendars in our 45 regions in the U.S. and Canada. (We expect even more to be added in the upcoming weeks, so keep your eyes on your local KOAA in-person and virtual calendars.) As publisher, I have a front-row seat to this unprecedented level of ingenuity, and I go to bed each night inspired.

A few months ago, we were all hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel. You creators out there have made pumpkins glow when we thought they might not. You are the lights.