Jefferson County Tourism offers list of area Halloween activities; sheriff offers safety tips

The Jefferson County Tourism Council has released a list of Halloween-related activities available this month throughout the county.

Additionally, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has shared a list of tips to keep trick-or-treaters safe this holiday.

The county’s list of activities, with a few additional events planned in Whitewater, follows:

Cambridge

• Halloween Costume Parade and Trick or Treat Trail: The event will be held at Westside Park, 300 W. Water St., Thursday, Oct. 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. According to information released by the county, the parade lineup will commence in the park, and then “trick or treat” down Main Street.

• Halloween on Main Street: The event will be held at the Cambridge Market, 217 W. Main St., Thursday, Oct. 26, between 4 and 5 p.m.

• Village-wide Trick or Treating: The event will be held, Tuesday, Oct. 31, between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Fort Atkinson

• Haunted Hike: The event will be held at Haumerson’s Pond, 550 S. 4th St., Friday, Oct. 20, and Saturday, Oct. 21, between 6 and 9 p.m.

• Citywide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Sunday, Oct. 29, between 1 and 4 p.m.

• Trunk or Treat: The event will be held in Jones Park, 615 Janesville Ave., Tuesday, Oct. 31, between 6 and 8 p.m.

Helenville

• Trunk or Treat: The event will be held at St. Peter’s Church, W3255 U.S. Highway 18, Friday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m.

Ixonia

• Annual Fall Fest: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

• Trick or Treating: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, between 2 and 4 p.m.

Jefferson

• Boo Bash: The event will include downtown trick or treating, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 19, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

• The Great Egg-Tober Hunt: The event will be held in Riverfront Park, 601 S. Wisconsin Dr., Friday, Oct. 27, at 11 a.m.

• Humane Society of Jefferson County Trick or Treat: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, between 1 and 3 p.m.

• Citywide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, between 2 and 5 p.m.

• Trunk or Treat: The event will be held Sunday, Oct. 29, between 2 and 5 p.m.

Johnson Creek

• Food Truck or Treat: The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 31, at Crossroads Church, 111 South St., between 1 and 7 p.m.

• Village-wide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Lake Mills

• Witches Night Out: The event will be held Wednesday, Oct. 25, between 4 and 6 p.m. According to information released by the county, participants will be able to trick or treat at participating local businesses, which will be identified by an “official Witches Night Out poster” displayed in their windows.

• Citywide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 31, between 6 and 8 p.m.

Palmyra

• Village-wide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, between 3:30 and 6 p.m. The event includes a parade, which will lineup at the fire station, 126 N. First St., at 3:30 p.m.

Waterloo

• Citywide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Sunday, Oct. 29, between 2 and 5 p.m.

Watertown

• Trunk or Treat: The event will be held Thursday, Oct. 26, between 5:30 and 7 p.m., at Trinity St. Lukes Church, 801 S. Fifth St.

• Pumpkin Palooza: The event features activities throughout the downtown area, according to information released by the county, and will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

• Downtown Trick or Treating: The event, which features trick or treating at downtown businesses, will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, between 1 and 3 p.m.

• Citywide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, between 4 and 7 p.m.

• Trunk or Treat: The event will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, between 6 and 8:30 p.m., at Ad-Tech, 110 S. Voteck Dr. According to information released by the county, it is a “free-will offering event,” which will be “collecting food items for local food pantries.”

• Trunk or Treat: The event will be held Saturday, Oct 28, between 6 and 8 p.m., at Moose Lodge, 1222 Juneau St.

Whitewater

• Ghouls Night Out: The event will be held throughout downtown Whitewater, Thursday, Oct. 26, between 4 and 7 p.m.

• Citywide Trick or Treating: The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 31, between 4 and 7 p.m.

The following events, according to organizers, also will take place in Whitewater:

• Hallow’s Gala art exhibition and closing reception: The exhibition runs through Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, 402 West Main St., in the Whitewater Arts Alliance gallery, which is open Thursday’s through Sundays, between noon and 4 p.m. A closing reception, featuring awards, costume contest and live music, will be held Sunday, Oct. 29, between 6 and 9 p.m. Details about the event are found here: https://whitewaterwise.com/hallows-gala-art-exhibition-opens-art-alliance-to-participate-in-ghouls-night-out/.

• Victorian undertaker: The event will be held Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the Irvin L. Young Memorial Library, 431 W. Center St. According to information released by the library, the event features a presentation that will focus on Victorian funeral and mourning customs, including a display of mortuary and embalming equipment and instruments. Adults and teens are welcome to attend the free event. As noted in the release, “It was during the Victorian Era that the ritual of death became increasingly sophisticated and this period saw the development of the modern cemetery, morticians, and public funeral, complete with floral arrangements and the hearse for transportation of the deceased. The ‘undertaker’ of the Victorian Era was the forerunner of today’s funeral director. Many of the traditions that are observed in our funeral process today came to be from superstitions of the 1800s.” The presentation will be given by Steve Person, a funeral director for 47 years, now retired. Over the course of his career, the release noted, he developed an interest in the history of the funeral industry, especially during the Victorian Era.

Tips for a safe Halloween

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office encourages Halloween event-participants to embrace the following list of safety tips:

• Trick-or-treaters need to see and be seen. The office suggests using makeup instead of a mask as costuming to facilitate an ability to see, and give trick-or-treaters flashlights to carry. Additionally, the use of reflective tape on costumes and candy collection containers is advised, along with light-colored clothing.

• Halloween participants are advised to wear flame-resistant costumes.

• Adults are advised to make sure they know where kids in their care are going. A parent or responsible adult should accompany young children door to door.

• While trick or treating, be cautious around animals, especially dogs.

• Walk, don’t run.

• Only visit homes that have a porch light on. Accept treats at the door – never go inside.

• Walk only on the sidewalks, not in the street.

• If a sidewalk is not available, walk at the edge of the roadway, facing traffic.

• Look both ways before crossing the street, and cross only at the corner.

• Don’t cut across yards or use alleys.

• Don’t cross between parked cars.

• The office advises drivers to use extra caution, as youngsters may forget to look both ways before crossing.

• An adult should check the goodies before allowing children to them.

• Make sure to remove loose candy, open packages and choking hazards.

• Discard any items with brand names with which you are not familiar.

• For those welcoming trick-or-treaters to their home, the office advises that homeowners receive their guests in a well-lit area, and that sidewalks and steps are swept, with leaves removed, along with any obstacles which could create a tripping hazard.

For a year-round calendar of events as prepared by the Jefferson County Tourism Council, visit its website: https://enjoyjeffersoncounty.com/event-calendar/.