Trick-Or-Treating Comes Early for Centre Region

Halloween is coming a few days early for the Centre Region.

For six municipalities in the Centre Region, Trick-or-Treat Night will take place on Thursday, Oct. 29. 

Due to the influx of people that will be in State College on Halloween because of the Penn State home football game, the date change was based upon concerns of pedestrian safety. 

“Whenever there is a home football game on Halloween, we have to recognize and respond to the presence of 120,000 visitors and added vehicles on the roads,” Executive Director of Council of Governments Jim Steff said. “For the past several decades we ask the police chiefs what the safest day for children in the community to go out and trick-or-treat is, and this year they recommended the 29th.”

For the Borough of State College and the Townships of College, Ferguson, Harris, and Patton, trick-or-treating will be from 6 to 8 p.m. For Halfmoon Township, trick-or-treating will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

For the past 40 years, the rescheduling of trick-or-treat night has proved to be a beneficial and safe precaution. 

“I’m not a police officer but I have been at my job for a long time and I would say that rescheduling trick or treat night has been a safe thing for the local government to do,” Steff said. “To my recollection there has not been an accident involving a trick-or-treater throughout the years.”