Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/tag/halloween/)
East Lansing families gathered to take part in the Great Pumpkin Walk on Oct. 29. It was the first time this event has taken place since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019. Families dressed up in their favorite costumes and trick-or-treated with local businesses down Grand River Avenue and Albert Street.
In this edition of Focal Point, one MSU student tells us her experience with COVID-19 on campus. A gravestone in Okemos is finally restored, dining halls on-campus have made some adjustments due to the staffing shortages and MSU football preps for the rival game against the Wolverines.
A temporary store for a spooky season
The Spirit Halloween in Okemos takes over the empty Younkers department store in Meridian Mall from late August to early November, providing local residents like Robin Garrett and her family an opportunity to find costumes for her neighborhood’s socially-distanced trick-or-treating. Despite the curtailed Halloween plan, Garrett’s daughters were excited about the costumes they bought at Spirit Halloween. “I like it, the girls like it,” Garrett said. “We always go there, you’ll find us looking around.”
Spirit Halloween sets up in Meridian Mall as a temporary store each year. Photo by Kamryn Romano
In an article by the National Retail Federation, Spirit Halloween CEO Steven Silverstein said that even though Halloween looks different this year, a majority of the 1,300 stores nationwide are still open.
Spirit Halloween has received criticism for its business model, and some wonder how they’ve survived this long.
Residents of Walled Lake, Michigan are spooked about a Halloween with the COVID-19 pandemic. Home to 7,000 residents, parents students and doctors are preparing for a safe holiday. Halloween and COVID-19
“Very interesting,” said Dr. Alka Jain when asked. “I have a 12-year-old (who) wants to go trick-or-treating, so we had to figure out a plan for her. Everyone is on a different spectrum with COVID-19.
The entrance of Cheezy D’s Deli and Dogs located on the corner of Marsh and Lake Lansing. Credit: Brea Crawford
Cheezy D’s Deli and Dogs in Haslett, Michigan was robbed just months after their grand opening on June 15, a few months later than originally planned. Owners Denny and Michelle Emmer tried to make the best out of the situation.
“I knew who did it, that’s why I didn’t press charges,” said Denny. “No matter what their issue was, they needed help. We tried to make a positive out of it. The window can be replaced, and no one was hurt.”
The robbery influenced Denny to take his business to the next level and help the community.
On this edition of Focal Point, a look at the recently announced changes to the Spring Semester and how MSU plans to keep students healthy while slowly reopening. Due to the pandemic, one East Lansing business is forced to close its doors, and graduating students struggle to find jobs. Big Ten football is back, but two MSU linebackers will not take the field after being arrested in September. Other varsity sports will not return at all after the Athletic Director announced swimming and diving have been cut. Those stories and more on Focal Point.
This Halloween, ghosts aren’t the only invisible problems that trick-or-treaters and parents have to be mindful of. With COVID-19 still able to be spread in mass numbers, participants must engage in social distancing. Parents passing out candy must find another way to make sure the kids get what they came for, because handing it to them will not be an option. While Karin Polischuk plans on using a table to keep proper distance from trick-or-treaters, other parents have decided to get more creative. “I’ve seen people even putting shoots from their second story windows down below”, said Polischuk.
The Costume Shop hasn’t lost that vintage charm since its 2014 relocation to 1131 May St. Thousands of shimmering dresses, coats, shoes and hats — some of which are more than 80 years old — crowd the warehouse building.
Still looking for a way to celebrate Halloween with the little ones? Look no further. Show off your cool costumes during Meridian Township’s weekend full of three free Halloween Adventures. All of these events take place on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Meridian Police Department located at 5151 Marsh Road.
The first event of the weekend will be at the Meridian Police Department where visitors will be able to tour the Public Safety Building.
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