text: A Pennsylvania town has banned trick-or-treating this year while hundreds of cops search nearby woods for accused cop killer Eric Frein. 
   
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   The Barrett Township said its annual Halloween parade and 5K Scarecrow Race are canceled indefinitely, and trick-or-treating is banned this year, as the dragnet for Frein is now in its fourth week. The suspect is believed to be hiding out in thick woods near the town. 
   
   "This parade is probably one of the biggest events that the town has every year," Ralph Megliola, chairman of the township's Board of Supervisors, told ABC News today. "Everyone looks forward to the parade. Myself and my family personally have been away and cut our vacation short to get home in time for the parade. Thousands of people line the streets." 
   
   Butch Comegys/Scranton Times & Tribune/AP Photo 
   
   Megliola said that this year would have been the town's 50th anniversary parade. It was scheduled for Oct. 26. 
   
   The dragnet for Frein has residents of the normally sleepy town in the Pocono Mountains on edge. 
   
   "I'm the father of a 9-year-old," Megliola said. "We do things a little differently now. I'm not so comfortable with him going outside and playing anymore." 
   
   The manhunt and increased police presence is also hurting tourism and businesses in the Poconos. Frequent road blocks, hunting restrictions, and school closures right after the shootings add to the inconvenience. 
   
   Pennsylvania State Police Dept. 
   
   "Now we have that question in the back of our mind -- is he here? Where is he?" Megliola added. "Any time you drive through town, it's not uncommon to see 20 to 40 police cars or a helicopter or two or three flying above." 
   
   Many people worried that Frein could escape during the Halloween activities with the help of disguises or costumes, ABC affiliate WNEP reported. 
   
   If he's found before Halloween, Megliola said the town will reconsider its Halloween activities. For now, a "trunk-or-treat" will be held in the parking lot of a Catholic school in a nearby township. 
   
   Police have been searching the woods, focusing on the border of Pike and Monroe counties, since after the shooting at the Blooming Grove police barracks on Sept. 12. Frein allegedly killed one officer and injured another. 
   
   Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here. To be notified about our live weekend digital reports, tap here. ||||| Barrett Township in Monroe County has cancelled Halloween including trick-or-treating this year for safety reasons as Eric Frein, the accused cop-killer is still at large. (Published Friday, Oct. 10, 2014) 
   
   The manhunt for the suspect in the fatal ambush of a Pennsylvania state trooper forced a town to put its Halloween plans on hold. 
   
   Barrett Township supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday night to cancel Halloween trick-or-treating this year as officials continue their search for Eric Frein. 
   
   They also postponed their Halloween parade, which had been scheduled for Oct. 28, as well as their annual 5K Scarecrow Race, which had been scheduled for Oct. 19. 
   
   Instead of trick or treating, Barrett Township will have a “Trunk R Treat” on the grounds of Monsignor McHugh School in Paradise Township. During the event, residents will decorate their cars as Halloween floats and hand out candy from their car trunks to children. 
   
   State officials also announced hunters may return to parts of the Pennsylvania woods previously declared off-limits after police discovered pipe bombs allegedly left by Frein. 
   
   The state Game Commission said Friday that hunters and trappers can enter Lehman Township and portions of Blooming Grove and Porter townships. 
   
   The agency also reopened most of State Game Lands 180 and the State Game Lands 183 shooting range, both in Pike County. 
   
   Those areas are outside the main search area for Frein. 
   
   Hunting and trapping remains closed in Greene Township, Pike County, and Price, Barrett and Paradise townships in Monroe County. 
   
   Portions of State Game Lands 183 and 221 remain closed, as does the western tip of State Game Lands 180. 
   
   Friday marked Day 28 in the search for Frein, accused of killing Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Bryon K. Dickson II and wounding Trooper Alex Douglass during an ambush shooting outside the Troop R barracks in Blooming Grove back on September 12. 
   
   Officials in Barrett Township say the manhunt for Frein has already cost about $40,000 not counting lost revenue to businesses. 
   
   Copyright Associated Press / NBC 10 Philadelphia
target: – With accused cop killer Eric Frein still on the loose and presumably holed up in the nearby woods, a town in rural Pennsylvania has taken the unusual step of canceling Halloween festivities this year, reports ABC News. That means no trick-or-treating and no annual parade for Barrett Township. It's not just that residents fear for the safety of kids—they're also worried that Frein could take advantage of the night to grab a costume and escape the area. The town will instead organize an event at the local high school where people can hand out candy, reports NBC Philadelphia. Frein is accused of shooting to death one state trooper and wounding another on Sept. 12. Authorities tracking him have found various items in the woods, including a journal in which the shootings are discussed in "chilling" detail.