Drive-thru trick-or-treat event and haunted house planned for Windsor-Essex kids

Molasses Kisses Halloween candy by Kerr's Candy are shown in Toronto on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017. =THE CANADIAN PRESS

Windsor, Ont. -

Kids in Windsor-Essex can get an early start on their spooks, scares and candy this Halloween with a couple of trick-or-treat alternatives planned for Saturday.

After a successful event last year, WFCU is bringing back a drive-thru trick-or-treat alternative at four of the credit union’s drive-thru locations on Saturday.

The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 30 between 3 – 5 p.m. at the WFCU’s Tecumseh, Amherstburg, Leamington and South Windsor locations to “allow children to have the trick-or-treating experience from the comfort and safety of a vehicle.”

Children will receive a Halloween treat bag filled with activities and candy to enjoy while supplies last.

When participating in WFCU Credit Union’s Trick-or-Treat Drive-Thru Event, participants are asked to follow the below instructions:

• Arrive at one of WFCU Credit Union’s four drive-thru locations (Amherstburg, Leamington, South Windsor or Tecumseh).
• Pull up to our drive-thru teller window.
• Children are encouraged to say ‘trick-or-treat’ from the safety of the vehicle and WFCU Credit Union staff will hand treat bags through the drive-thru drawer.
• The adult driving the vehicle is asked to retrieve the treat bags from the drive-thru drawer.
• Once treat bags are retrieved, please move ahead so that the vehicle behind you can participate in the trick-or-treating fun.

There will be strict COVID-19 safe measures in place including:

• All visitors MUST remain in their vehicles
• Contactless delivery of Halloween treat bags
• Drive-thru drawers will be sanitized between each vehicle
• Mask wearing and hand sanitization

The WFCU asks residents to please refrain from participating in the drive-thru even if you have had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, travelled outside of Canada or to an area with a current outbreak, or had cold or flu-like symptoms within the last 14 days.

Tilbury Auto Mall to host drive-thru haunted house

The Tilbury Auto Mall is also hosting a drive-thru haunted house on Saturday with Tilbury Chrysler, Lally Ford and Lally Chevrolet will be transforming their service bays into three different Halloween drive-thru experiences.

There will be a toddler friendly route at Lally Chevrolet focused on superheroes and cartoon characters as well as spooky routes through the Mummy’s Tomb at Tilbury Chrusler and the Mad Scientists’s Lab at Lally Ford.

Visitors can take a drive through one or all of the fun and scary attractions.

“Once again we’re going to have contactless trick or treating stops at each dealership,” said Tilbury Chrysler president Tom Mayhew. “The kids don’t even have to get out of their vehicle.”

The free event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visitors will need to be waiting in line by 8:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome and costumes can be worn but are not required.

“Our set and prop designer has been busy building some pretty creepy sets and scares,” added Adam Lally. “There will be lots of live-actor characters roaming around too. If you visited last year, there’s been some changes to help get more vehicles off the road while waiting to enter, but make sure you come prepared to wait a bit… it proved to be a very popular stop last Halloween.

The entire event is completely contactless, and treats have been prepared following strict sanitary protocols.

“There’s been a lot of new volunteers come forward to play characters this year,” said set designer Gerry Harvieux. “The business community has been joining in too, with support from Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Til”s”bury Pizza Boy, Foodland, DPM Insurance, Tim Hortons and the Tilbury BIA. It’s great to see everyone working together to provide a truly unique Halloween experience.”

The Tilbury Auto Mall will also be collecting non-perishable food items and personal hygiene products that night for the Tilbury Food Bank.

Updates along with spooky teasers will be available on the Tilbury Auto Mall’s Facebook page.