Palm Beach Recreation Center
340 Seaview Avenue
Palm Beach
FL 33405

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Halloween is a favorite holiday for children of all ages.  However, it can also be a time of anxiety for parents.  Organized activities and house parties are good alternatives to “trick or treating”.  To protect your children and help them have a safe and crime-free Halloween we recommend HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS at the Palm Beach Recreation Center.  Kids can come dressed as their favorite characters and play a mini-midway of carnival games and contests with tons of prizes and candy.   Contact the Rec Center for more information and have a howling good time.  Call 838-5485.  

Halloween Safety Tips for Drivers         
• Stay alert. Neighborhoods that don't normally have a lot of pedestrian and bicycle traffic may experience an increase on Halloween night.
• Remember that kids will be excited, and may be trying to visit as many houses as possible within a specific time frame. Trick-or-treaters may suddenly dart into traffic from between parked cars.
• Be particularly cautious in areas where cars are parked along the side of the street.  A child could easily dart out between parked cars.
• Be patient and SLOW DOWN. Give children lots of time to cross the street. Their costumes may impair their ability to see and hear you, and to get out of your way quickly. 

Costume Safety
• Purchase or make costumes that are light colored and clearly visible to motorists.
• Trim costumes, "goody bags," and other containers with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car's headlights.    Reflective tape can be purchased at any hardware store. 
• Make sure costumes are short enough so they don't cause children to trip or fall.   Children should wear well-fitting shoes.
• Masks should not impair a child's hearing or field of vision. If necessary, enlarge ear and eye holes, or use makeup to create special effects. Tie hats and scarves securely to prevent them from slipping over the child's eyes.

Halloween Safety Tips for Homeowners.
• Make sure your yard is clear of anything that children might trip over.
• Pets get frightened on Halloween.  Put them in a closed room so they don’t inadvertently bite a trick or treater.
• Battery powered jack o’lantern candles are preferable to a real flame.
• If you do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from the front door.
• Plan to give healthy snacks to the trick or treaters who come to your door.

Safety Tips for Trick or Treaters
• Children should be well supervised by an adult when trick-or-treating. Older children should trick-or-treat in large groups in well known neighborhoods.
• Children should carry a flashlight, glow stick or have reflective tape on their costumes.
• Children of all ages should visit only well lit houses in familiar neighborhoods.  Children should never enter the home of someone they don’t know.
• Pedestrians should always follow traffic signals and rules of the road.
• Although tampering is rare – all candy should be brought home and inspected by parents. 
• Parents of young children should remove any choking hazards such as gun, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.