Indoor Halloween Activities Being Offered In Vernon

VERNON, CT — With wet and windy weather forecast for Vernon Thursday, town officials are promoting indoor activities for Halloween.

From 4 to 6 p.m., trick-or-treaters will be welcome at both town hall and the Rockvile Public Library. Department offices will have treats for young people in customes.

Extended office hours are normally offered in Vernon on Thursdays.

Here is the forecast from the National Weather Service:

Thursday: Rain with patchy drizzle is expected before 9 a.m., then showers after 9 a.m. Areas of fog are forecast. High temperatures will be near 68 with a south wind at 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. The chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New precipitation amounts of between a quarter- and half-inch are possible.

Thursday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are likely before 3 a.m., then showers are likely. Areas of fog are forecast. Low temperatures will be near 46 with a south wind of 16 to 21 mph and gusts as high as 50 mph. The chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New rainfall amounts will be between a quarter- and half-inch.

Here are some Halloween tips from Vernon police for those who venture outside:

Traffic

• Be especially careful between 4 and 8 p.m., when the most severe vehicle/young pedestrian collisions typically happen.
• Drive slowly, and don't pass stopped vehicles. The driver might be dropping off children.
• Park to use your mobile phone. Avoid distractions by waiting until you've stopped to call, text, or use mobile internet sites.

• Watch for children darting into the street. Kids can cross the street anywhere, and most young pedestrian deaths happen at spots other than intersections.
• Yield to young pedestrians. Children might not stop, either because they don't see a vehicle approaching or don't know how to safely cross the street.
• Communicate with other drivers. Always use turn signals. And if you have to pull over to drop off or pick up your kids, turn on your hazard lights.

Parents and Trick-or-Treaters

• Look both ways and cross only at corners and crosswalks.
• Use flashlights and glow sticks, and/or use reflective tape on costumes so drivers can see them.
• Be careful when crossing a street. Make sure to look in both directions and make sure that there are no cars coming.
• Older children should help younger children cross.
• If a street has a stop light, wait until the crosswalk light tells indicate that it's okay to cross, but still check before crossing and look both ways.
• Be careful with a route. Walk on the sidewalk or against traffic on the roadway.

• Cross at street corners, not in the middle of a block.

Most local police departments will be conducting focused enforcement in residential neighborhoods.

Fire Safety

• Plan ahead for children using walkways and make them easily passable.
• Keep decorations far away from open flames.
• Use battery-operated candles or glow-sticks in jack-o-lanterns.