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Shell Factory hosts hundreds of kids for Halloween

By CHUCK BALLARO - | Nov 4, 2020

Katie Lukes with her three children, from left, Carlisle, 5, Nova, 3, and Quentin, 10, at the Halloween celebration at the Shell Factory on Saturday.

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Children of all ages showed up at the Shell Factory & Nature Park on Saturday, dressed in every type of costume under the sun, from princesses and superheroes to, yes, a toilet.

Anne Sheridan, general manager, said the attendance exceeded her expectations, as people were waiting to get in long before nature park opened.

“They were lined up all the way to the fun park. People were thanking us for the way we social distanced. Once again, the Shell Factory came through for them and let the kids have a good time,” Sheridan said.

People toured the nature park for free, got to see all the animals and got a bag of candy when finished, as opposed to previous years where kids got candy at several stops along the way, to help keep everyone safe.

“I found that parents wanted to see what was in the bag and the kids’ hands are not in the buckets. We wanted to make the parents comfortable,” Sheridan said.

There was also a costume contest after trick-or-treating. Children who came in costume got a free snow cone and a round of mini golf. There was also food and drink at the Southern Grill, live entertainment, 20 percent off all items in the Halloween Shop, and special packages at Scallywags Fun Park.

Parents wanted to make a day out of this since, for many, it would be the closest thing to the traditional Halloween.

Bianca Westbrook, brought her son, Easton, 4. She said because of COVID-19, there wasn’t much to do for Halloween in their neighborhood.

“We saw this and it was the perfect opportunity to get out and do trick-or-treating. We’re not going to do it tonight,” Westbrook said. “We always did trick-or-treat and if we had the opportunity, we would have. Everywhere we would have gone has cancelled it.”

Deana Eriksson said a friend recommended the Shell Factory, and added that she and her son would give trick-or-treating at night a go.

“We do it every year and it doesn’t look like it will be any different this year,” Erikson said.

The Shell Factory is at 16554 N. Cleveland Ave. (U.S. 41). For more information, call 995-2141 or go online to shellfactory.com.