SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury Zoo and the Psychology Department at Salisbury University are set to co-host Spooktacular Halloween, a sensory-friendly event. The event is geared towards those who would benefit from a calm and less-crowded Halloween celebration.
"It's crucially important for us to be able to share the experience with everybody, said Salisbury Zoo Development Supervisor, Jamie Nichols. "We like to be able to make sure that we have something that everybody in the community can enjoy, no matter what your abilities are."
Rhyannon Bemis, a Psychology professor at Salisbury University, says the university has been collaborating with the zoo for about 7 years to promote sensory-friendly situations, including events for Earth Day and more recently, a light show called Zoothing Lights. Bemis says tickets are limited for these events so they don't get too crowded and stay sensory-friendly.
"These are very important events for all children to have," said Bemis. "They're important for families to be able to interact with their children as any other children and family would. It's really as part of a child's whole development as well as part of the family, as whole development, to be together, to have fun, to not be worried about any kind of thing that might be stressful to the child."
The event will include a candy trail, full of candy and allergy-sensitive options, and games like ring toss, a corn dig, and 'walk the web,' where children can trace the chalk outline of a spider web for a prize. Tickets for the event can be purchased on the zoo's website for $10. Limited tickets will be available at the gate. The event runs on Friday, October 10th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Salisbury Zoo.