While Poulsbo has had to cancel its traditional Halloween celebration due to the coronavirus, the Chamber of Commerce has come up with an alternative – a Halloween Hunt.

In an effort to encourage social distancing, but allow for a fun Halloween night, trick or treaters will get to go on a hunt for treats at over 20 select locations around Poulsbo so long as they remain in their vehicles and the chauffers (parents) are masked up.

The fun begins at noon and goes until 4 p.m. Trick or Treaters must first stop at the Poulsbo Chamber and make food donation to support North Kitsap Community food programs. In exchange, they will be given a map that will take them to different starting locations and businesses all over town for special Halloween treats.

“We aren’t trying to take away from previous years Halloween celebrations, just modifying it for the times we are currently living in,” said Kathy Foresee, director of Operations for the chamber.

Typically the city shuts down a portion of Front Street downtown for trick or treaters to frequent decorated shops. But due to COVID-19 the city wants to discourage group gatherings.

The state Department of Health is discouraging traditional neighborhood trick or treating and trunk or treating and instead is promoting activities such as a scavenger hunt around one’s home, a movie marathon or a pumpkin carving contest online. It does also caution that if folks do choose to engage in more traditional Halloween events that they do it outside, with only people from their family, and to wear a face covering – and not just a Halloween mask.