Little Rock residents prepare for Halloween

Halloween marks the unofficial start of the Holiday season and many people, especially children, are having fun time during the whole day and night. This year, Halloween will be celebrated on Monday next week and people are having their last costume preparations.

The Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years prevented most Americans from celebrating Halloween as they usually do, but this year things are different as most of us are vaccinated and have developed immunity against the virus. Our lives are getting back to normal, and so is the Halloween celebration.

Dozens of children are expected to hit the streets on Monday as parents are getting ready to send their little ones house-to-house for trick-or-treating. All in the name of having a proper Halloween fun time. However, Halloween might become dangerous in certain situations, and everyone should be cautious when it comes to the public’s safety.

Public safety, especially children’s safety, was the first thing Ridgeway Drive area residents had in mind when they decided to go a step further and take extra precaution measures to make sure that all the attendees on Monday would be safe.

With dozens of children running around on Ridgeway Drive on Halloween, the street becomes busy and very dangerous, especially in the afternoon hours when it starts getting dark and the visibility is lower. That’s why one resident decided to create a special safety plan for Halloween, a plan that was supported by the local community and will most probably take effect every year.

Local area residents agreed to close the street to vehicles during Monday’s celebration. Children’s safety always comes first and this step was widely supported, making the whole area a safe and secure playground for children.

Major Casey Clark, with the Little Rock Police Department, generally supports such initiatives but is concerned that not many neighborhoods in Little Rock are following this plan. The local police department once again urged drivers to be very careful on Monday, especially during the peak hours from 4–8 p.m., which is usually the busiest period on Halloween.

In addition, Clark advises parents to give their children a flashlight and says that it’s best to have some kind of reflective vest on someone in the group. These two things by far improve children’s safety when it’s dark outside.

We at MDMH – Pine Bluff wish everyone a fun and safe Halloween celebration.