PULASKI, NY – This year for Halloween, Pulaski Academy student Cassidy Philips took it upon herself to design a senior project that would provide an innovative event to replace the traditional neighborhood parade with a safe celebration of the scary season.
“With everything going on, my mother and I wanted to offer a safe alternative to the kids in the area,” Philips said. “We spoke to many parents, and they said that they were not planning to allow their children to go door to door this year.”
The planning for the drive-thru Halloween celebration started over a month ago, with Philips spending several hours a day working through the details.
“It all came together pretty smoothly,” Philips said. “We received more donations than we expected, and it took more than four hours just to fill the candy bags alone.”
Over 30 businesses and individuals contributed to the event, with donations coming in from people outside of the Pulaski community as well.
“I got a lot of help with this project from my mom, Robin Philips; and Sam Parker, a member of Pulaski’s Ringgold Fire Department, was really a big help with securing the field for the event,” Philips said.
Cars lined up all the way out to Route 13 as the sun broke out just in time to cast a golden light on Dunbar Field. Kids in costumes pressed their faces against the glass of car windows, excited to see the decorations and the volunteers dressed up to provide a little fright that night.
“The weather cooperated,” Philips said. “But I had a backup plan in case of rain, using easy up awnings ready to keep everyone dry.”
As the long line of vehicles slowly passed through the field and rolled by the costumed characters and animated displays, the new way of celebrating the holiday was a big hit, the smiling faces of both children and adults clearly attesting to its success.
“When I handed the kids a bag of candy, their faces just lit up,” Philips said. “It was the cutest thing.”
Adapting to new circumstances is something young people excel at, and this event was a beautiful demonstration of this ability.
“It really made me happy to see the kids super excited,” Philips said.
Although an exact count is not available yet, approximately 800 children attended the event.
“It takes a community to put together and support an event like this,” said her mother, Robin Philips. “Pulaski has always been a place where community spirit and support is very strong… We received an overwhelming response from business, social organizations and individuals, and without this support we probably would have come up short on items to hand out.”
Robin said Cassidy’s experience with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic led to this idea for a senior project.
“She has had so much taken away during her senior year, and seeing how this affects others led her to this idea,” Robin said. “We followed the suggestions of the Oswego County Health Department to keep Cassidy and the other volunteers safe during the event, which led to all of the bags being handled only by Cassidy, and her using the proper PPE during the event.”
According to Robin, community service is a tradition in the Philips family.
“This project has stirred a lot of pride in me for Cassidy and her desire to always give back to her community,” Robin said.
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