Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By MICHELLE LOVE | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Those with specific allergies will be able to take part in Halloween festivities worry free this year. Delta Blues in Pelham is hosting a “Carn-Evil Fest” on Halloween night that offers everyone’s favorite carnival junk foods without the top eight allergies.

Pelham resident Fawn Freis owns Delta Blues with her husband. Freis has Celiac disease, and she said as a lover of junk food, having to miss out on her favorite concession stand treats has always been a bummer.

“When we go to the fair or the football game or whatever, I can’t eat anything,” she said. “It’s the dumbest stuff that you miss. You’d think you would miss like high quality food, but you really do miss being able to eat junk food.”

Freis was aware there were others out there with different severe allergies that felt her pain, and she wanted to do something special so everyone could enjoy Halloween treats.

“I wanted to do a concession stand themed day where you know whether you have a peanut allergy or a tree allergy or egg allergy, you can come and enjoy the food you miss and be safe,” she said.

The menu will consist of everyone’s favorite junk food items like corndogs, chicken tenders and even sausage with peppers and onions. All menu items will be free of the main food allergies, and will be prepared separately to avoid cross contamination.

“We’re going to have four trick-or-treat stations with small games like dice games and ring toss games,” Freis said. “I have some pumpkin eggs that the kids can dig around and try to find. Each station will have candy that’s free of the top eight allergies.”

Originally located in 5 Points South, Delta Blues always provided a menu safe for those with food specific allergies.

“This is the first event we’ve done, but we’re always free of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and aside from one cake that’s made off premises we’re also free of soy and eggs,” Freis said. “The only allergens we have here are dairy, shellfish and fish, but we have dedicated fryers so nothing is cross contaminated. We have vegan items that are cooked in the vegan fryer and any chicken is used in its own fryer. Cross contamination is huge and unfortunately not a lot of places understand that.”

In 2020, Fawn and her husband moved Delta Blues to Pelham, and they have loved the new area for the restaurant.

“We live in Pelham, so when we were looking around we found this place and thought, ‘Oh, hey, this is great,’” Freis said.

Freis said they have always wanted to do something fun with the restaurant for Halloween, but conditions kept proving to be troublesome.

“When we were in 5 Points, I had two bars next to me, and I wasn’t sure how parents would feel bringing their kids down to 5 Points for candy,” she said laughing. “We tried to do this last year, but my husband and I both had COVID so we had to cancel.”

Freis said they hope to have a big turnout, and the Carn-Evil Fest will be family-friendly for all ages.

“We just want people to come and have fun,” she said.

Delta Blues Carn-Evil Fest will be on Oct. 31, Halloween, from 12-4 p.m. For more information visit the Delta Blues Facebook page.