Redlands Kids Come Downtown for Safe Trick-or-Treating

Downtown Redlands was crawling on Oct. 31 - Halloween - but not with the usual activity of shoppers. Families, children and dogs dressed in Halloween costumes roamed the downtown streets for the Safe Trick-or-Treat event. State Street was closed off to vehicles as children walked door-to-door to local businesses in the event. Hosted by a collaboration between the Sixth Street School of Music and the Frugal Frigate, the event was the opportunity for children to trick-or-treat safely, with parents free of the worry of vehicles driving through the city streets. Jennifer Sparks, head of the Sixth Street School of Music, said the safe trick-or-treat is a "fun family event that everyone can participate in." The school of music provided the evening's live entertainment, where students ranging in age from five to their mid-20s performed musical numbers in costume. The entertainment included everything from piano playing to live duet singing. Teanna Haslett of the Frugal Frigate bookstore hosted live reading and story time events for the children. "Reading stories helps get kids back into reading and it adds to their personal creativity,” she said. She added she felt that Downtown Redlands carries a culture of its own, cultivating a hometown environment and making everyone in the area feel like they are a part of a community. “Downtown Redlands is a locally-bound, heartfelt neighborhood that adds to family life and makes an event like this easy.” She shared that both the music school and the bookstore have been hosting this safe trick-or-treat for four years and look to continue the tradition. “Seeing the kids dressed up is great,” she said.