Spooktacular delights in store this week for Halloween

Children (and adults with a sweet tooth) get ready – Halloween will be celebrated in and around Rusk this week.

Perhaps the biggest event on tap is the Rusk Chamber of Commerce’s Scare on the Square 2020, in which local businesses and individuals set up tables downtown, handing out treats to ghosts and goblins alike. This year’s event is slated to begin at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, going until all the candy is gone.

“The foot traffic will be going one way, although the route is slightly different,” said Rusk Chamber President Josie Fox, who noted that the starting point for the event will be at Austin Bank at 4th and Main streets. “We’ll have volunteers with signs showing the direction of the route.”
This year’s event also features UT Health, which will have an ambulance on display, and a local volunteer fire department will bring a truck, she said.

Additionally, Heather Beck Photography and the Cherokee Civic Theatre have set up a fun Halloween backdrop for pictures of individuals or family groups, allowing attendees to commemorate the event.

Roads around the square will be blocked off at 3 p.m. Friday to ensure security, and organizers are ensuring that participants observe national pandemic guidelines issued by the CDC.

Trick-or-treaters at this year’s event will be asked to follow the specified, one-way route around the square to ensure social distancing guidelines are met, Fox said.

For more information on where to set up, route information or to volunteer, call the Chamber office at (903) 683-4242 or email info@ruskchamber.com.

Other area Halloween events include:


• Wednesday, Oct. 28 – "Tricks-N-Treats" will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. in downtown Alto, along Commerce Street; a "Vampires Need Your Blood" donation drive, hosted by Gulfcoast/Blood Center of East Texas, will be held from 3 to 7 p.m., with free antibody testing available.

• Wednesday, Oct. 28 – Sisters@Heart will host a Halloween celebration, from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at A. Frank Smith United Methodist Church in Alto. The group also has an option for drive-through Trick or Treaters.


• Saturday, Oct. 31 – Calvary Baptist Church of Jacksonville will host a Trunk or Treat event, from 2 to 4 p.m. at 122 W. Tena St.

• Saturday, Oct. 31 – The Wells Police Department will distribute out hot dogs/chili dogs, chips, drinks and candy to trick-or-treaters and their parents, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

• Saturday, Oct. 31 – Trunk or Treat is planned at 140 E. Main. St. in Reklaw, from 4:30 p.m. and goes until 7:30 p.m., and features food vendors, free hotdogs for kids, games, a fire truck and live music.

• Saturday, Oct. 31 – Central Baptist Church of Jacksonville will host Trunk or Treat, 6 to 9 p.m. at 1909 E. Rusk St.