Special to Swellesley from Jen Looper

I’m a Halloween superfan! Since we didn’t have much candy growing up, that Oct. 31 windfall was already a Big Deal when I was a kid. In addition, I loved to dress up in costume and my three brothers and I would have a blast as masked trick-or-treaters. 2020, of course, is going to be a challenge for the kids who are looking for some fun scavenging on Halloween. While there are block parties and various socially-distanced events being planned (according to what I’m reading on the What’s Up, Wellesley Facebook group), I’d like to invite you to participate in a town event that, if done right, could prove quite fun for all the kids who grew up hunting for Pokémon who still need to stay safe this year: let’s create Candy Caches!

I’ve built a website for parents to register their home in Wellesley as the site of a candy cache. I propose that, on Halloween, we set out a bowl with bagged candy bundles and list their location on this web site with a time that they’ll be available and a clue where to find them. Then, the kids can help themselves without needing to knock on doors.