After a one-year break due to COVID-19, we’re pleased to welcome hundreds of little ghouls and goblins back downtown Sunday for a Halloween celebration that’s one of the highlights of our year — and one of the signature events that make Smithfield special.

From 5 to 7 p.m., vehicular traffic will be blocked from Church Street to Institute Street so that children can safely collect their treats from Main Street merchants. If you’ve never been downtown for Halloween, we urge you to check it out. When kids and their parents fill Main Street, it’s quintessential Americana, right out of a Rockwell painting.

At 5:30 p.m., we’ll host the annual Costume Contest on The Smithfield Times gazebo stage. The scariest, cutest and most original costumes will be honored in four age groups: 0-3, 4-7, 8-12 and adult. We appreciate the many downtown merchants who have donated prizes for this year’s costume contest.

Knock on wood, because we’re well aware that Mother Nature can change her mind, but Sunday’s forecast looks delightful at this writing: partly cloudy with highs in the upper 60s, dipping into the low 50s by the time kids collect their last treats on Main Street.

Many will then head over to Grace Street, where homeowners go all out to celebrate the occasion. It’s quite the sight to see. Decorations are already up, and the candy will be plentiful by the time kids descend on one of the historic district’s iconic streets.

Smithfield Police advise that Grace Street won’t be closed to vehicular traffic, so parents should pay extra attention to ensure that kids stay on the sidewalks and out of the street, crossing only at intersections with four-way stops.

We look forward to seeing everyone downtown Sunday evening.