Centre Stane volunteers have prepared a special kids Halloween event due to take place this weekend – meaning Halloween is certainly not cancelled in Mauchline.
Volunteers have created the Mauchline Digital Pumpkin Trail 2020, a free event which will take kids and parents on a hair-raising tour through the village, starting at the Centre and ending at a secret location, with many local sites passed through on the way.
The trail will take place on Saturday, October 31, from 3pm-5pm, with fancy dress optional, although kids (and parents!) are encouraged to dress up in their best ghoulish gear.
Couple Alan and Laura Cook are the volunteers who have managed to get the event together in just one day after being inspired by similar trails nearby, including in Auchinleck.
Alan said: “We saw on Facebook that Vibrant Communities was running a similar event in Kay Park in Kilmarnock and we saw others in Auchinleck and Darvel, so we made contact with them and they shared with us what they’re doing. They’ve been a brilliant help.
“We’ve taken that idea and adapted it to suit our village. It’s going to be a scavenger treasure hunt where kids can solve rhymes and riddles to take them from the Centre and then, using QR codes, through the village on the trail.
“We’ve made up videos and put pictures together too. It’s a real community event to give families something to do as we didn’t want them to travel to outlying areas given the current restrictions.”
Since kids are unable to go trick or treating this year, Alan hopes this will be a fun and safe substitute, especially as it will be socially distanced and run according to government guidelines.
Centre Stane has also been running a competition for best dressed window in the village, the results of which will be incorporated into the trail.
He continued: “There have been fantastic displays, from Mary Morrison Drive to Barskimming Road. It’s great the lengths people have went to. It’s great to bring the community together.
“It gets the kids dressed up and out, as long as parents adhere to social distancing.
“The trail’s run over a certain time scale between 3pm and 5pm so social distancing won’t be a problem. The Centre will be open and kids don’t need to touch anything. It’s also long enough for wee ones to walk it.
“Myself and my wife came up with the idea but knew nothing about QR codes and YouTube. It’s amazing what Google can tell you!
“We want to put across that Halloween is not cancelled in Mauchline.”
For more details, visit Centre Stane on Facebook
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