The city of Murphy Recre­ation Department is signing up as many as 30 businesses and organizations to hand out goodies during a drive-thru Trunk-or-Treat event set for the evening on Oct. 30.

Booths and spaces decorat­ed for Halloween will be set up around the Municipal Com­plex, 206 N. Murphy Rd., for families to drive by and collect treats from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

“We have reached out to Murphy businesses to partici­pate,” Special Events Coordi­nator Kayla McFarland said.

Registration can be com­pleted from the city website, murphytx.org. Participation is free to vendors.

McFarland explained that prepared goodie bags will be handed out to trick-or-treaters in cars as they drive through the Halloween area. Booth operators are required to wear protective masks and gloves.

“Although you can’t get out of your car, we are encourag­ing people to dress up,” Mc­Farland said.

Halloween is the next day, Saturday, Oct. 31, and the city has posted safety tips that ad­dress the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anyone handing out treats is advised to avoid direct contact with trick-or-treaters, give out treats outdoors if possible, set up a station with individually bagged treats for children to take, wash hands before handling treats and wear a protective mask.

Trick-or-treaters are encouraged to make a protective mask part of their costume and to not wear a protective mask and costume mask because it could make breathing difficult. A costume mask is not a substitute for a protective mask.

For safety, it is advisable to take hand sanitizer along on a trick-or-treat outing and to thoroughly wash hands before eating any treats.

Trick-or-treaters are advised to stay at least six feet away from others that are not part of the household.

For more stories like this, see the Oct. 22 issue or subscribe online.

By Joe Reavis • [email protected]