“Oh, you are so, so scary. You are frightening. I don’t know how close I can get,” Terry Heller, under a witch hat and behind a face shield, told a trick or treater in a Halloween mask Saturday afternoon at Wiscasset Community Center. Until a few days earlier, Heller, who lives at the corner of Morton and Federal streets, expected to greet costumed children at the annual “Nightmare on Federal Street” Oct. 31. But with Maine’s spike in COVID-19 cases, including the announced positive result for a Wiscasset police officer, the town switched to a drive-through event.

“All of us on Federal had organized to a fare thee well,” the former Texan said. “So we were all disappointed, but we were relieved also, because we had a feeling it was going to be (a crowd).”

Families by the carload stopped by table after table along the WCC parking lot where costumed treat-givers delivered the goods – some through decorated tubes  into cars’ open windows. 

Minutes before the first car pulled up, WCC neighbor Dot Lamson finished adjusting the arms of a white cloth-clad, skeleton-headed decoration about her height. Her brother-in-law James Kane made the ghoul, she said. “I’m hoping that there’s a little wind” to move the cloth, she said.

There was.

Parks and Recreation Director Duane Goud called the sunny, breezy weather perfect and the sight of families arriving wonderful. “It also would have been wonderful on Federal Street,” but the change was needed and still made for a fun Halloween event, Goud said in a zebra costume.

Nearby, fellow staff and festive dressers Chelsea Taylor and others were giving out treats to children, who called out to them and thanked them. 

Boothbay’s Sarah Cusumano drove along the line-up of tables with sons Kaiden, 7, and Matthew, 10, and her nephew Mackswell, 6. “This was such a great change of pace! We have been sheltered for too long and not only did the kids need this, but parents as well,” she said in a text response Saturday night. “Thank you everyone involved in getting this going. We could tell it took a ton of planning, hard work and teamwork to achieve such a wonderful, safe and fun event!”