COEUR d’ALENE — Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Both are welcome Saturday, when local women plan to grab their brooms and descend on Sherman Avenue.

Witch’s Night Out is the brainchild of Cindi Thoma, who organized the outing last Halloween as a means of supporting downtown businesses while having some spooky fun.

Thoma gathered a group of friends, who in turn invited more people. The newly formed coven dressed as witches and did their own brand of trick or treating — in the form of treating themselves to food, drink and shopping at local businesses.

“It was a blast,” Thoma said. “Some of the witches had cauldrons and passed out candy.”

This year, Thoma expects an even bigger turnout. She hopes the night out will be a kind of good luck charm to businesses during a time of uncertainty.

“We love our little town of Coeur d’Alene,” Thoma said. “We want to help our shops. Usually tourists are gone by now. It’s time for locals to support downtown.”

The witches will park their brooms at 3 p.m. Saturday at Cricket’s, 424 Sherman Ave., for beverages and a bite to eat before flying off to other businesses.

There’s just one requirement to join in: a witch costume, whether good, bad or ugly.

“It’s always fun to meet new witches,” Thoma said.