CONCORD, N.C. — Halloween is one week away, and several cities across North Carolina are still allowing trick-or-treating but with some health guidelines for COVID-19.

The Anderson family lives just off Union Street S and has been there for about 10 years. Their two children grew up trick-or-treating in the area.

“This is one of the best Halloween neighborhoods we have ever been a part of,” Blake Anderson said.

Downtown Concord has been a staple spot on Halloween for dozens of years.

Randy Hopkins is the president for Residents of Historic Concord and also lives on Union Street S. She said even with a storm last year, the streets were full on Halloween night.

“I would figure 1,000 or 1,500 kids,” Hopkins said.

It's why she and others are taking precautions this year.

“I personally am going to have gloves and a mask, a really cool mask,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins said they usually don’t allow trick-or-treaters to reach in the candy bowl, but they are reinforcing that this year due to COVID-19.

One woman down the street is even working out a social distancing strategy by creating a pulley system to deploy Halloween treats.

“This is on a line and we will put a basket on his hand," Concord resident Rebecca Hays said. "We are using a drill so we don’t have to pull him back up every time.”

The Anderson family says Halloween in Concord isn’t just about trick-or-treating, it’s about taking pride in the city they live in.

“I hope people will still get out and view it and appreciate it,” Jackie Anderson said.

City leaders in Concord are trying to lessen the number of trick-or-treaters this year. The city usually holds a candy crawl downtown during Halloween day, but that will be held as a drive-thru event in a park earlier in the week instead.

The 2020 Concord Candy Cruise will take place on October 29 from 4-6 p.m. at W.W. Flowe Park located on 99 Central Heights Drive in Concord.