Candy-seekers descend on downtown Moscow

MOSCOW — Moscow’s Main Street shut down on Halloween while it was swarmed by hoards of witches, monsters and superheroes.

Candy-seeking families donned their costumes and took part in the annual Downtown Trick or Treat. Local businesses and organizations set up tables on the sidewalk to hand out sweets, hot dogs, cider and other treats to the public.

A variety of costumes were on display Thursday. Visitors had to be careful not to step on the tail of an alligator or get in the path of a T. rex as they walked down the street.

Though dark clouds were overhead, the rain held off long enough to make for a dry event.

“We’re lucky to have beautiful crisp weather — a nice fall evening,” said Moscow resident Michelle Lange.

Lange was with her 2-year-old daughter Sofie, who was dressed as a unicorn. They were joined by Corinne Reed and her children Soren, 4, and Inneke, 1. They were dressed as a firefighter and bumblebee, respectively.

“They love it,” Reed said about her children. “They’re having a blast. I think (Soren) loves seeing other costumes more than her own.”

Inflatable costumes were popular and stood out among the crowd. The Dukes family came out dressed in inflatable costumes of video game characters and a dinosaur.

The Colfax residents said they appreciate the opportunity to go trick-or-treating in a safe environment.

“The fact that they close the streets, it seems like a great way to have fun for the kids but do it in a safe manner,” said Jarrad Dukes. “We don’t have to worry about walking through dark streets, things like that.”

Jarrad and April Dukes were joined by their 10-year-old son David and 6-year-old son Matthias, who were dressed as characters from the video game Among Us. David said his favorite candy is M&M’s.

BookPeople of Moscow co-owner Bre Pickens said her business participates in the event every year to hand out candy.

“I just love seeing all the fun costumes and all the kids and families coming out,” she said.

Her favorite costume was a boy who swapped out two masks as a clever way to get two rounds of candy.

“Ingenious,” she said.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.