For those who want only treats this Halloween, and hope to avoid tricks, following safety tips offered by local police can help ensure a fun experience.

Woodstock is conducting a Halloween Kidsfest from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Park at City Center in the historic downtown area.

The festival will offer Halloween trick or treat activities for young ghouls and goblins, including moonwalks, games, Tim the Magician, Adam the Juggler — the ever popular — stringed apple and pumpkin bowling games, face painting, costume contest, and candy give-away.

The city is billing it as a great place for kids to trick-or-treat safely. A costume contest will take place at 6 p.m. in front of the gazebo with prizes for funniest, scariest and best overall costumes.

The Woodstock Police Department said in efforts to ensure a safe Halloween, it is offering some important safety tips.

n Children should not snack while they are out trick-or-treating. Parents should urge children to wait until they get home and they have a chance to inspect the contents of their “goody bags.”

n To help prevent children from snacking, give them a light meal or snack before they head out — try not to send them out on an empty stomach.

n Tell children not to accept, and especially not to eat, anything that is not commercially wrapped.

n Parents of very young children should remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys.

n Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.

n Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.

n Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see children.

n Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating.

Halloween is often one of the worst traffic rush hours in the year, and the Clean Air Campaign of Georgia has some tips for commuters

“Whether you’re a parent rushing home to escort your little trick-or-treater or a party-goer heading to the latest hotspot in a cat outfit, everyone is going somewhere on Halloween,” the commission said in a release. “Unfortunately, this makes Halloween one of the worst traffic days of the year. Many commuters take the day off to avoid the horrors of the ride home, but a commute alternative can help you save a vacation day and stay productive. “

These options can offer a spook-tacular Halloween commute:

Telework. Avoid the terrifying traffic by working from home.

Take transit. A devilish commute goes from evil to easy when someone else does the driving.

Carpool or vanpool. Don’t be afraid of sharing the ride. As long as coworkers and ‘pool partners aren’t vampires, they won’t bite.’

Compressed work weeks. You won’t be a traffic zombie if you have the day off.

Bike. Don’t have a broomstick? Fly by traffic on a bike instead.

Flextime. Come to work early and escape before the nightmare begins.

For those who like to get the candy, but not eat it all, Cherokee Children’s Dentistry in Canton will be holding its fourth annual Candy Buy Back.

This year’s Buy Back will be held Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local children can bring in up to five pounds of candy to the dentist’s office and will get $1 for every pound they bring in.

The candy will then be sent overseas to the troops through Operation Gratitude, www.operationgratitude.com.