Officials remind kids to be smart, safe at pre-Halloween event

No one was condemned to hard labor at the Halloween Crime Prevention event Friday at Carver Park because it was all fun and games.

The 14th annual celebration the day before Halloween was organized by the Yuma County Adult Probation Department, which invited 25 other county agencies to help treat Yuma's children to a grand time, said Veronica Vincent, probation officer.

"We're giving away 1,500 bags of candy, and we also have Halloween safety tips."

Some of the two dozen agencies that set up tables along with carnival games were the Health Department, Department of Public Safety, the Border Patrol, the Highway Patrol, Yuma Fire Department, and Yuma Safe House, among others.

Adult Probation had a haunted house where the unwary could be scared out of their wits by shadowy figures lurking in every cobwebbed crevice. A faceless grim reaper dressed in a crimson judge's robe and wearing an ebony mask was a sobering sight for many trying to pick their way through the cryptic labyrinth.

"It should have been a lot darker," Douglas Hayes Jr., the man behind the mask, said. "But some of the kids keep coming back. The little ones sure are frightened."

Hayes added it was a good way to get the younger generation into the spirit of Halloween. He was volunteering at the haunted house as part of his two-year probation that he must serve until next year. Despite having to complete his community service requirement, he said he was having a lot of fun and looks forward to it again next year.

"The whole idea for the event before Halloween was to provide a safe way for parents and children to enjoy the holiday together," County Supervisor Lenore Stuart said. "The kids love to come out here and we have fun, too."

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors was running the musical chairs game but instead of taking away seats and eliminating players each time the music stopped, players sitting in numbered chairs had their number called to win a prize. Stuart said they always have a long line, so long as their prizes hold out.

Ashlyn Somoza, 7, a second-grade student at the AmeriSchools Academy, said she enjoyed musical chairs but she especially liked the haunted house.

"I was scared, but I didn't scream."
 But she held tight to her father's hand, said her mother, Dalinda Somoza. She also said the Halloween Crime Prevention was a wonderful event because children got great safety tips such as the Health Department's that cautioned everyone to wash their hands frequently during the flu season.

"This is a great idea, especially for kids who don't (usually) get to go out to trick or treat. They're certainly getting more than enough candy, but it's been a great day."

Trying out a new trick on an old game was the CASA program of the Juvenile Court, child advocates for children in foster care. Jerry Pray, program coordinator, was tending the popular attraction of washoes, a variation on horseshoes. Only in this game, children tossed flat washers into holes drilled into boxes instead of horseshoes around a ring.

Pray said they had a good assortment of prizes such as candy, pencils and a miniature Frisbee not much larger than his palm.

"I don't know how well it flies but the kids sure want them. The kids seem to be having a good time. I'm having a workout picking up washoes but it's fun watching the kids."

Frank Silva, work furlough program coordinator for Adult Probation, said all of the agencies brought their own games and prizes supported by employee donations.

"It's an awesome turnout. Everybody here is having a blast."

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William Roller can be reached at wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.