PAL to Host Weekend of Halloween Activities

With Halloween just around the corner the Howell Police Athletic League is using the holiday to officially welcome the community to its new home. 

The PAL will be holding two dances tonight as part of a busy weekend for the group. Starting tonight at 5 p.m. elementary school students from around the town will be able to come to the old Southard School for a Halloween Dance. Jaime Szyarto, the program coordinator said the event will include music as well as games and face painting for the kids who participate. 

Once the fun is done for the younger children of the town the middle school students will have their turn starting around 7:30 at Southard. Szyarto said the PAL has had dances at the middle schools before. Unlike in the past, this dance will be at a neutral site so they are looking forward to seeing how many students come from the town's three middle schools. "Since it's no one's location specifically for them to go to their school it's kind of a contest," she said. 

For the middle school students, the question is who will bring the most of their friends to the event. "They've been talking about it in the school," Szyarto said. "It will be cool to see who's going to come."

Whether it is the elementary school or middle school dances Szyarto said parents can leave their children at the events knowing they are in good hands. "We know that they'll be in a good safe place," she said. "We won't allow people to leave the building. Everyone will be safe, they wont' be allowed to be running the school or anything like that."

With this being the first event at the former elementary school, Szyarto said this will be a good experience for everyone involved. "We're not looking at any specific numbers that we're trying to get," she said. "We're just trying to give the town and parents an opportunity to bring their kids to somewhere safe where they can have fun."

The fun does not end on Friday as long as the weather does its part on Saturday. If the rain holds out then the Chick-Fil-A parking lot across the street from Southard will be the site of the annual Trunk or Treat event from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Szyarto said if everything goes according to plan representatives from the police department, township and other local organizations will all take part. "They get really hyped up about this too because they like to give back to the kids," she said. 

Participants at this event who come in costume will get a free kids meal and free candy from the restaurant. The event also serves as a fundraiser for the PAL with 10 percent of the total bills being given to the organization.  

For more information go to the PAL's website.