For some children, strolling through downtown Occidental this past weekend was the first time they experienced Halloween since they were babies. Families went trick-or-treating at the Occidental Fire Department and rows of businesses.
It was an outdoor evening of tradition and normalcy since the pandemic began for locals, dressed as superheroes, clowns, princesses and the Statue of Liberty. Earlier in the afternoon, the Occidental Center for the Arts hosted a costume contest and live kids music by Jon Gonzalez.
Each first-prize winner received $50, while other standouts received $25, Executive Director Tina Marchetti said. Then came the parade.
Kids stepped through the maw of a giant inflated Frankenstein head into the fire department’s garage, where firefighters presented bowls of candy. One kid dressed as the alien symbiote Venom, while a toddler moseyed around in a furry cow suit.
Kindergartner Ella Singh was too young to trick-or-treat in 2019, but she may have been the world’s cutest pumpkin in 2021. Her favorite part was getting in costume and seeing her friends from school.
“We’ve been on lock-down, playing it safe, so it’s nice to start to get out and see a little bit of the community and just feel it,” said her dad, Karam Singh. “Big difference from last Halloween,” Ella’s mother Leena Singh said.
The family moved to west county during the pandemic and because of those restrictions, getting to meet the community wasn’t easy. The holiday opened that door some while still upholding preventative measures.
“I like the fact everything is outdoors, people are wearing masks, kids are wearing masks, and it feels really safe. That feels good. We feel comfortable doing that,” Leena Singh said.
