BELFAST, Maine — Every Halloween, Mary Jo Abbott, activities director for The Residence at Tall Pines, buys candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters who venture to the Belfast senior living community.
Most years, she doesn’t have to get very much. That’s because many Belfast-area children swarm to Cedar Street, a residential area that’s become known as the go-to place on Halloween, to fill their bags and get their fix of spooky decorations.
But this year, with expected heavy rains, high winds and coastal flooding, Abbott is hoping that more pint-sized goblins and ghouls will find their way to Tall Pines.
“I got twice the candy I usually buy, because of the predicted weather. Now I’m thinking maybe I need to run to Walgreens and buy more,” she said, adding that indoor trick-or-treating can be safer and is certainly going to be drier this year. “Our staff dresses up. A lot of our residents dress up. It’s nice — the intergenerational thing. And the residents love the kids and their costumes. It just brightens the day, really.”
In Madawaska, the bad weather is forcing Operation No Tricks to the town’s multipurpose building.
The annual event is sponsored by Customs and Border Protection along with Madawaska police, fire and ambulance crews and posts first-responders along the town’s busiest intersections to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters and keep them safe.
“We love handing out treats in the avenues on Halloween to the trick-or-treaters, but this year’s weather has made us change our plans,” said Jodie Theriault, an organizer of the event.
Weather is shifting many Halloween plans this evening. If you’re looking to stay dry, here are some indoor events going on in the area:
Bangor
Discover Halloween, Maine Discovery Museum
10 a.m. to 3 p.m., today
Not-so-scary activities, art projects, flashlight explorations and more
Trunk-or-treat, Eastern Maine Community College, 354 Hogan Road
4 p.m. to 8 p.m., tonight
Costumes, games, candy and more
Halloween@thePD, 240 Main St.
6 p.m. to 8 p.m., tonight
Goody bags, candy, raffles and games in the police station lobby
Trick-or-treat at Bangor Mall, 663 Stillwater Ave.
6 p.m. to 8 p.m., tonight
Costumes, candy, trick-or-treating and more
Belfast
Monster Mania Mini Golf, Steamboat Landing in Belfast
3 p.m. to 7 p.m., tonight
9-hole mini golf course featuring classic monsters and mini golf
Trick-or-treat at Harbor Hill, 2 Footbridge Road
4:30 p.m., tonight
Costumes, trick-or-treating and more
Trick-or-treat at Tall Pines, 34 Martin Lane
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Liberty
Trunk-or-treat, Liberty Community Hall, 3 Serenity Lane
5 p.m., tonight
Candy, games and more
Madawaska
Trunk-or-treat, town multipurpose building, 160 Seventh Ave.
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Free hot dog meal, candy games and more
Morrill
Trunk-or-treat, 2 S. Main St.
4 p.m. to 7 p.m., tonight
Food and candy, hayrides and more sponsored by Morrill Baptist Church
Orono
Teal Pumpkin, Orono High School, 14 Goodridge Drive
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Trick-or-treating and more
Rockland
Trunk-or-treat, Woodlands Memory Care, 201 Camden St.
3 p.m. to 6 p.m., tonight
Food, refreshments and face painting
Trunk-or-treat, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, 301 Park St.
4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Candy, safety demonstrations and more
BDN reporter Morgan Mitchell contributed to this report.