La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Mandatory mask-wearing has been a bone of contention for some, going back 18 months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But it won’t be an issue in La Conner the afternoon of Oct. 29.

That’s when mask-wearing in observance of Halloween is always a fashion must. And never more so than during this year’s downtown parade, set for the Friday before Halloween.

“The parade participants will gather in the south Port parking lot, and everyone must be masked,” Town Administrator Scott Thomas told the Weekly News.

Halloween and mask-wearing by folks of all ages have gone hand in hand together in La Conner for decades.

The La Conner Parent Teacher Student Association is again sponsoring the local Halloween Parade and has filed a permit with the Town for the costumed serpentine to begin at 3 p.m., at the end of the school day, and following its familiar route down First Street.

“We reached out to merchants to see if there was an interest and if they felt it was safe to do this year,” said PTSA Treasurer Nicole Hagen said Oct. 11. “We had much support from the town and merchants.”

Hagen said, however, there will be no carnival after the parade – an event modeled after the traditional prankless community Halloween parties that were long a part of La Conner lore.

“We will not be following up with a carnival this year,” Hagen lamented. “But we felt it was important to try to do something for the kids.”

Thus, the parade portion of local Halloween festivities is a go.

The Town, which is coordinating the parade, is following the same COVID-19 safety protocols as the school district to help curb spread of the virus.

All of which is intended to make sure La Conner remains a boo-tiful place to kick off Halloween weekend.