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Families preparing for the spooky holiday

Drive-thru events are confirmed Upcountry, West and Central Maui

Lahaina brothers Triton, 7, (from left) and Atlas Monteleone, 6, hold their “Nightmare Before Christmas”-themed pinatas they made out of paper mache. Making and filling pinatas with candy is one of the activities that the county suggested as a safe and fun alternative.— Courtesy of Cynthia Monteleone
Students make decorations and prepare for the Seabury Hall-Oween Drive-Thru, which is slated for Friday at the high school’s campus. — Courtesy of Seabury Hall
Maui County parents and children are getting ready to celebrate pumpkin season, eat Halloween candy and dress up in their favorite costumes -- with face masks and at a distance. While this year's Halloween festivities are getting downsized, altered and sanitized due to COVID-19 regulations, families are still excited about the spooky tradition -- which falls on a Saturday this year -- and events being planned across the Valley Isle. "With a family of four kids, Halloween is a big deal at our house and definitely one of our favorite holidays," Haiku resident Maile Davis said last week. "Halloween at home will require a bit of creativity but any time you're with family and close friends, it's always a worthwhile adventure." Prior to the pandemic, Davis said Halloween was "always such an anticipated event to meet up with friends and travel through various neighborhoods." The Haiku Elementary School community is hosting a Halloween-themed drive-thru parade today, which the Davis family is "absolutely excited" for. "We've been a part of the school for 13 years so, I have seen it grow from nothing to a small and sweet event on the field to the community event it grew into last year at the school parking lot," she said. Triton Monteleone, 7, of Lahaina told The Maui News earlier this week that his family painted pumpkins and made "Nightmare Before Christmas"-themed paper mache pinatas as a fun Halloween activity to do at home. "We're going to put all the candy inside our pinata and then trade all the candy," he said. Last year, his family all went to the annual Keiki Halloween Costume Parade in Lahaina as well as trick-or-treating. Monteleone said he understands that Halloween will be "a little different" this year due to the coronavirus, but he still has plans to dress up like Mario from the Super Mario Brothers because "I just wanted to have a nice mustache." His 6-year-old brother, Atlas Monteleone, who plans to dress as a skeleton, said Halloween is his favorite holiday because he can "eat lots of candy." Pukalani resident Kamaile Lee said Friday that their family will be dressing up and driving around the neighborhood to find Halloween decorations and lights. Her 6-year-old son, Keala Vanderford, is "excited to dress up" like Harry Potter. "If we don't find much of anything, we'll probably come home and watch movies and bake goodies," Lee said. "He's excited to carve his pumpkin. He's excited to go to the neighborhood we always go to." Since the county is advising against large gatherings and trick-or-treating, Lee said that "everyone is just confused this year on how to go about celebrating the holidays." "Yes, of course the holidays are going to be different this year," she said. "We supposedly can't have gatherings and this doesn't make sense to me since we can all be in Walmart together with masks but supposedly not at a gathering." * * * LahainaTown Action Committee President Sne Patel announced Tuesday during a county news conference the group's final plans for the Lahaina Drive-Thru Trick-or-Treat Monster Maze, which will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Halloween in the north parking structure at the Outlets of Maui. Last week, the organization said they had to figure out an alternative event to the Lahaina Halloween Party on Front Street, which drew up to 20,000 people in previous years. "When LAC realized a few months ago that our traditional Lahaina Halloween Parade would need to be canceled due to COVID-19, we were a bit disappointed but understood, as health and safety concerns need to come first," Patel said. "I am thankful for the county's support in working out a safe and fun way for our community to celebrate Halloween. Our event partners really rallied to make this happen, and I am looking forward to two spooktacular events." The event will be open to the first 250 vehicles who preregister at lahainadrivethruboo.eventbrite.com. Entrance to the event will be off Papalaua Street and vehicles will exit onto Wainee Street. Families will be greeted by aliens, stilt walkers, sirens, haunted pirate ships, flash mobs and more. All attendees must stay in their vehicles and wear a face mask. For more information on the West Maui drive-thru event, email president@visitlahaina.com or go to www.VisitLahaina.com. * * * Maui County officials are also coordinating a drive-thru Halloween event in Central Maui from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Keopuolani Regional Park. The event is free and preregistration is not required. The Halloween Adventure includes Maui classic cruisers, mummies, witches and more. All attendees must stay in their vehicles and wear a face mask. Keopuolani Park will be closed starting at 1 p.m. to prepare for the event. "While Halloween events will be different this year due to COVID-19 precautions, we encourage parents and residents to get creative with fun alternative activities that everyone can enjoy," Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said in a news release Thursday. "Remember to wear your mask, maintain physical distancing and avoid any large parties this Halloween." Entrance to the county event is a right turn only off Wahinepio Avenue and attendees will exit via right turn onto Kanaloa Avenue. The event is a partnership with Alpha Agency and LAC, as well as various nonprofits and volunteers. * * * The Seabury Hall-Oween Drive-thru is slated for 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday on the Olinda campus. * * * Also on the west side, the Lahaina Cannery is having a "spooktacular family fun" virtual costume contest from 10 a.m. Tuesday to noon Friday. Families can enter by posting a photo of their child in costume on Facebook or Instagram. Spooktacular prizes will be awarded in four age categories, and winners will be announced via social media at noon on Halloween day. In addition, parents can bring their keiki age 10 and under to Lahaina Cannery for in-person and socially distanced Spooky Keiki Crafts and Games from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Sunday. Activities will include Halloween coloring pages, face mask decorating and Halloween-themed games. Each keiki will receive a "bag-o-treats" when crafts are completed. Reservations for seating are required due to social distancing requirements and can be made at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/125219997383. Residents can also stop by and pick up a coloring page and face mask to decorate at home without a reservation. To learn more about Lahaina Cannery's events, current store openings and hours visit www.lahainacannery.com or follow @LahainaCannery on Facebook and Instagram. * * * It's also "spooky season" at the Azeka Shopping Center in Kihei, which will be hosting a virtual Azeka Pumpkin Carving & Painting Contest. Families who are carving and designing pumpkins for Halloween can enter the contest today through Oct. 31 by posting a photo of their creation on social media. Keiki can also enter by painting a miniature pumpkin. Participants must use the hashtag #AzekaPumpkinParty in their Facebook or Instagram caption and tag @azekamaui. Profile pages must be switched to the public setting in order to enter the contest. Entries are open to all families and all ages with a chance to win $50 in Azeka Gift Card Bucks. Winners will be chosen based on two prize categories: the spookiest pumpkin and most creative pumpkin. For more information, call 879-5000, or visit the Azeka Shopping Center website at azekashoppingcenter.com or social media pages at @azekamaui. * Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com. [gallery ids="787897,787896"]

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