Deer Park Pumpkin Lane, the annual local business sponsored Trick or Treating event, has regrettably cancelled this year’s festivity. The decision to cancel was made citing traffic control, insurance and safety issues.
COVID-19 restrictions have caused a shortage of trained traffic control volunteers which, in turn, is the reason given for lack of insurance. From the Pumpkin Lane Facebook page:
“First, is the loss of government volunteers that are unable to donate their time due to all of the restrictions in place due to COVID-19. Which also includes over 20 traffic control volunteers. Second, our primary concern is always safety and without our insurance policy to cover Deer Park’s Pumpkin Lane we absolutely can not make this event possible.”
News of the cancellation prompted some to express their disappointment and frustration, while others offered suggestions to find another way for the children to have at least some semblance of festivity this year. As people commented that they could volunteer for traffic control, Pumpkin Lane responded:
“The city of Deer Park and the business community work very closely together for Pumpkin Lane. We really wish Pumpkin Lane could still go on this year. It sure is a difficult time for all. We just need to remember safety has to always come first and without trained traffic control we can’t move forward. Thank you all for your support and understanding.”
Danielle Prosser, head organizer for the Pumpkin Lane said, “We are so bummed to have had to cancel. It has been a great time for us to give thanks to all the players that are involved in Pumpkin Lane to make this happen, there are so many hands involved. We work closely with the city of Deer Park, the business community, The sheriff’s department, incident response, and the fire stations around the area. We are starting plans for Pumpkin Lane 2021.” The Pumpkin Lane Facebook page notes, “We look forward to Pumpkin Lane on October 30, 2021. We remain committed to our annual Deer Park Pumpkin Lane and we hope to see you all next year trick-or-treating at our local businesses here in Deer Park.”
