Wrentham Town Administrator

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Town of Wrentham Shares Guidance for a Safe Halloween Amid COVID-19

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WRENTHAM — Town Administrator Kevin Sweet would like to share safety tips for trick-or-treating and alternative Halloween activities to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“We want everyone to have an enjoyable Halloween as always, but given the ongoing pandemic it is important that everyone be smart and safe about their celebrations and activities,” Town Administrator Sweet said. “The following guidelines are helpful in explaining which activities are lower risk, and which might be best to avoid this Halloween season.”

Residents and communities should follow safe and healthy tips to participate in Halloween activities that may limit the risk of exposure to COVID-19. As a reminder, any Halloween activities are subject to the current state gathering size limits.

Should residents partake in trick-or-treating, they are encouraged to make individually wrapped goodie bags that can be placed at the end of a driveway or the edge of their yard for families to take. Those who do not wish to participate in trick-or-treating are asked to shut off their outdoors lights as an indicator.

Residents are also asked to take the following precautions from the Department of Public Health (DPH) if they choose to trick-or-treat this year:

  • Wear a face mask or face covering. For more information on face masks and face coverings, please see the state’s Mask Up MA webpage.
  • Observe good hand hygiene, including hand washing and use of alcohol-based sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol. Carry hand sanitizer and use it often, especially after coming into contact with frequently touched surfaces and before eating candy.
  • Refrain from touching your face.
  • Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet of physical distance from all other participants who are not members of the same household.

Additionally, the Town of Wrentham would like to share the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists of several low and moderate risk alternative activities that community members can take part in for Halloween.

Lower risk alternatives include:

  • Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them, or at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
  • Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
  • Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
  • Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
  • Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
  • Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house

Community members may participate in moderate-risk activities, as long as they take the proper safety precautions. These include:

  • Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart
  • Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
    • A costume mask (such as for Halloween) is not a substitute for a cloth mask. A costume mask should not be used unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face.
    • Do not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
  • Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced, and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
    • If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.
  • Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing
  • Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at least 6 feet apart
    • If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.

Residents are asked to avoid higher risk activities this Halloween in order to prevent the spread of the virus. These activities include:

  • Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door-to-door
  • Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
  • Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
  • Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
  • Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household
  • Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
  • Traveling to a rural fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area with community spread of COVID-19

Stay home and refrain from Halloween activities, including handing out Halloween treats, if you feel unwell, you have tested positive for COVID-19, you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or you have traveled to or from a state that is not classified as lower risk within the last 14 days. For more information on lower risk states, please see the state’s COVID-19 Travel Order webpage.

The Town of Wrentham wishes a Happy Halloween to all residents and hopes they stay as safe and healthy as possible!

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Town of Wrentham Announces Curbside Clothing Recycling Program

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WRENTHAM — Town Administrator Kevin Sweet is pleased to announce that Wrentham is preparing to introduce a curbside clothing recycling program.

Beginning on Monday, Dec. 16, residents will be able to leave a variety of recyclable items in front of their homes for pickup. 

The program is being offered through Simple Recycling, which has partnered with many nearby communities to prevent clothing and other items from ending up in landfills.

Recyclable items that can be collected include men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, coats and jackets, jewelry, shoes, purses, hats, toys, blankets, drapes and curtains, pillows and sleeping bags.

“We’re excited about partnering with Simple Recycling for this program, and hope residents will take full advantage of it,” Town Administrator Sweet said. “We all have clothing and other items lying around the house that could be put to good use elsewhere, and Simple Recycling makes it quick and easy to participate.”

As part of the program Wrentham will be compensated on a “per pound” basis for the material collected by Simple Recycling. The pickup will run year-round and follow the town’s existing biweekly recycling collection schedule so that no extra collection days will be required for residents.

Residents who participate in the town’s regular curbside recycling will be mailed bags to use as part of the program. Once filled, residents should leave the bags outside of their homes on the morning of their scheduled pickup. 

Pickups will be separate from regular trash/recycling collection.

View the town’s 2019-2020 recycling calendar here. 

Other towns in the area utilizing Simple Recycling include Franklin, Walpole, Milford, Mansfield, Norwood and Hopedale.

According to Simple Recycling, all of the materials collected through the program are graded and sorted locally and/or regionally based on quality and condition. The top quality materials will be resold to local thrift outlets, mid-grade items will be exported to international markets, and “unusable” items are processed for raw materials.

Visit the Simple Recycling website to learn more about the curbside clothing recycling program. Customers can also visit the site to order replacement bags should they need more. 

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PHOTOS: Town Celebrates 34th Annual Wrentham Day

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Town of Wrentham
Kevin Sweet, Town Administrator
79 South St.
Wrentham, MA 02093

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

PHOTOS: Town Celebrates 34th Annual Wrentham Day

WRENTHAM — Town Administrator Kevin Sweet and Recreation Director Jeff Plympton are pleased to announce that the town’s 34th annual Wrentham Day was a success.

Over 1,000 people gathered on the Town Common throughout the course of the day on Saturday, Sept. 8, to celebrate Wrentham.

“It’s such a great tradition in town and it really brings the community together for a day of fun activities for the whole family,” Sweet said. “Everything went off without a hitch and Jeff did a great job putting the event together, like he does every year.”

The day began with the 34th Annual Wrentham Wroad Wrace 5K, where dozens of runners ran through the downtown. New England Patriots mascot Pat Patriot made a special guest appearance and sent the runners on their way by starting the race.

More than 60 vendors from local businesses, community groups, town departments and youth sports programs set up tables and booths on the grass. They sold crafts, food items and clothes and also provided information and ran game booths for those in attendance.

The Wrentham Lions Club provided kids and adults with a 100-foot-long banana split. The Wrentham Fire Department’s Pioneer Engine Company served their famous clam chowder, while burgers and hot dogs were served up by the Wrentham Youth Baseball/Softball Association. A local band and DJ provided music for the event.

There were several fun activities for kids throughout the day including train rides and a Barn Babies petting zoo. One new feature added this year was a Touch-a-Truck event, where kids could get behind the wheel of a variety of vehicles including police cruisers, fire trucks, a SWAT vehicle, a front-end loader, a plow truck and others.

“This is one of my favorite days of the year in Wrentham,” said Plympton, who has been organizing the event for 15 years. “The Touch-a-Truck activity was new this year and was a big hit. I think we will definitely be bringing it back next year. I want to thank all of the volunteers who helped make the day a huge success and I hope everyone had a great time.”

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