Keep safety in mind when celebrating Halloween

Halloween means costumes, scary movies and parties, but the main event is candy.

Staying safe while trick-or-treating is easy as long as children and parents keep a few things in mind.

"Make sure all costumes are brightly colored," Henderson Police Officer Todd Rasmussen said. "When crossing the street, you want them to be highly visible by motorists."

The eyeholes on costumes and masks must be big enough so children can see where they are going, he said.

Although Rasmussen said Halloween is relatively safe in Henderson, he recommended that parents accompany their children while they are trick-or-treating. Although older kids might get involved, kids who are trick-or-treating age need an adult with them.

"It's always good for parents to be there in case," he said.

The officer also urged motorists to drive with extreme caution.

"Don't multitask, don't talk on your cell phone or text message," Rasmussen said. "Children can jump out into the street very quickly."

There are a couple of trick-or-treating options in Henderson for families who want to skip the streets altogether.

The District at Green Valley Ranch will host its second annual Ghost Walk from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 2240 Village Walk Drive.

About 500,000 pieces of candy will be passed out to kids in costume from more than 60 stores on both sides of Green Valley Parkway.

Lighting has been changed, and fog will roll through the area to set the scene for the night's activities.

There will be two movie screenings of "Casper" at The Green next to Whole Foods at 5 and 6:45 p.m.

Children are invited to go through a spooky hay maze, which starts with a cemetery.

"It's for the kids," said Rob Benson, director of marketing with American Nevada Co, the developer of The District. "But a lot of families dressed up, too."

Last year, about 3,000 people attended the event, he said.

Sid the Kid, a live band, will perform in The Courtyard in the original part of The District.

The trolley will take trick-or-treaters across the street, or families are welcome to walk. Benson said there will be additional Henderson police officers working as crossing guards.

"This is something we wanted to do for the community. There are not a lot of trick-or-treating options, so this seemed natural," Benson said.

Benson said there's enough to do to keep families busy for three hours.

The Galleria at Sunset mall also is having a safe street Halloween event with Sunny 106.5 from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 1300 W. Sunset Road.

Families are invited to dress up and enjoy the pumpkin patch, costume contest, scaryoke and Hallowgreen eco-friendly displays. The event takes place throughout the mall.