to/KAYLA VAN DYNE This handsome little devil named Waylon, who was adopted from Belmont County Animal Shelter, tries on his Halloween costume.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Animal Shelter will hold its first Halloween event for both local residents and their furry friends to attend.

The shelter, in conjunction with the Belmont County Cat Stray Shun, will host its Trick-or-Treat Night from 5-7 p.m. today outside of the shelter, located along National Road west of St. Clairsville.

Candice Fleagane, executive director of the Cat Stray Shun program, said adults, children and pets are welcome to attend.

“We just wanted to do something nice for the public and get our name out there. We just want people to know we are a good rescue organization and we mean well,” she said.

The shelter wanted to give children a safe place to celebrate Halloween, Fleagane said.

“It’s all in fun, we just want to give kids a safe place to go,” she said.

There will be vendors, prizes and treats available for those who attend.

“We have a ton of individually wrapped candy in individually wrapped bags for the kids,” she said.

The Wood Fired Pizza Co. will be on site and will donate a portion of its proceeds from the event to the animal shelter.

An array of trophies will be presented for best costumes. Each hour of the event, a costume contest will be held. Trophies will be given for best pet costume, best adult costume, best costume ages infant to 6 and best costume for ages 7 and up.

“We have six trophies for kids and six trophies for pets,” she said.

Fleagane said pets are welcome to attend the event as long as they are friendly and on a leash.

The organizations had planned to hold various activities for children to enjoy; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Belmont County being at Level 2 on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, the group was forced to cancel some scheduled activities for the day.

“We wanted to do it, but it would be too many kids conglomerated around a table. We’re going to try and have something else in the spring where we can incorporate the activities. We had a lot of games planned, but we’re just not allowed to do it now. We checked with the health department — the only things we’re going to be able to do are things that maintain a 6-foot social distance,” she said.

COVID-19 guidelines will be followed at the event to help ensure the safety of all those who attend, Fleagane said.

“We will be practicing social distancing, wearing masks and we’ll have our disposable gloves on,” she said.

Admission to the event is free. Fleagane said this is only a Halloween event and not a fundraising or adoption event. The shelter’s animals will remain safely inside the facility during the festivities.

The shelter is asking for anyone interested in attending to RSVP through the group’s Facebook event or by calling the shelter at 740-695-4708.