DragonFaerie Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 The "downtown" area had trick or treating for the younger set from 4 pm to 6 pm yesterday, but that was just the stores and businesses giving out candy. Regular trick or treating happens on Halloween during whatever times people want to go (although there have not been very many people these last few years). People generally use the porch light as the signal. Light on- trick or treaters welcome; we have candy. Light off- sorry kiddos; nothing for you here. We just keep our porch light on until the candy is gone or until we decide it's late enough and we're done. The idea of rules or specified times is weird and intrusive to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 They used to do that where I grew up at least part of the time. Small rural area so we never had ToT on Friday nights due to high school football and never on Sundays due to evening services at church. My mom and I were discussing this last night and we think we did have it on Saturday at least once but this year my nephews were out on the 29th which was the official night. People looked at me strangely when I moved here and asked which night would be ToT (on a Sunday so I assumed no ToT that night!) ETA: thinking back, I think we did have it on Saturday when the 31st fell on a Sunday. But if the 31st was a Saturday then we went on Thursday. Weird. For some reason the notion of changing the night of ToT so people don't have to choose between it and church cracks me up. My church has a service on Sunday night, but other than the people I go to church with, I don't know anyone who has church on Sunday night. And the evening service is always sparsely attended, with very few children there. Many more people seem to go on Wednesday night. Is Sunday night church more common than I think? But in any case - people messing with the date of a cultural non-religious holiday so Christians can partake in it and still not miss church. Like I said, I don't know why but it's cracking me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 We had a football game on Halloween one year so they did trunk or treat at the game. The PTO promoted the event IIRC. It usually isn't an issue because the regular season games are over by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateReignRemix Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 For some reason the notion of changing the night of ToT so people don't have to choose between it and church cracks me up. My church has a service on Sunday night, but other than the people I go to church with, I don't know anyone who has church on Sunday night. And the evening service is always sparsely attended, with very few children there. Many more people seem to go on Wednesday night. Is Sunday night church more common than I think? But in any case - people messing with the date of a cultural non-religious holiday so Christians can partake in it and still not miss church. Like I said, I don't know why but it's cracking me up. I think it was done partly just to keep one denomination (remember - very small town) from having an issue with ToT and raising a fuss. I was completely unaware of churches who were totally against participation until I got older, and I that little move of never having it on a Sunday kept it from ever being an issue. And as a kid I do remember Sunday night church being a big deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 It might depend on where you live, here it is usually dang COLD once the sun goes down, and folks are over traipsing from house to house by 7pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateReignRemix Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 We had a football game on Halloween one year so they did trunk or treat at the game. The PTO promoted the event IIRC. It usually isn't an issue because the regular season games are over by now. This is one of the last couple of regular season games both here and where I grew up, which means senior night is often around this time. Where we live now trunk or treat is more of a thing. In my old hometown a lot of churches do that but on a different day than ToT so a lot of kids do both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 We live on the street that is the main street for trick or treating because the city encourages people to come here. The police have heavy foot patrols tonight on our street and there is traffic control at the main intersections on our street so the kids can be safe. When the weather is nice we can get 1000 trick or treaters. It's a wild time. Therefore, I appreciate the designated time. I don't need kids knocking on the door while I'm trying to get ready, nor do I need kids knocking at 10 PM when I'm exhausted. I don't think it's creepy or patronizing at all. I think it's done as a courtesy to the folks who give out candy, especially elderly people. And if you think you can just turn off your porch light and not get kids knocking, you'd be mistaken in my neighborhood. They come whether there's a light or not...and remember, I'm talking tons, not just a few here and there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Not only are there designated times around where I live, there are also designated days that usually don't even correspond with Halloween's actual date on the 31st. Many places had their trick or treating last Tuesday for instance. It's really, really weird. Many kids (and parents) capitalize on this and will go all over on different days. Some parents living in later day areas send their kids trick or treating to earlier day areas and use the candy they get to give out on Halloween. High schoolers like to brag about all the loot they pull in and from where. I've no idea who came up with the idea, but it's a crappy one if you ask me. When my kids were trick or treating age, we took them to an area that celebrated Halloween ON Halloween. Even this (at the time) younger dog couldn't learn that new trick (changing dates). It just seems wrong - even after living here for 19 years. Restricting hours ON the actual date is just fine by me. Towns around here will do this, but it's so that kids go go to other towns and go trick or treating again. The towns are small and far apart. Trick or Treating means only a couple of streets of houses. I think it's kind of silly, but they've been doing it like that around here for a long time. They also often change the day if it's Friday (football night) or Wednesday (church night). I found it crazy when we moved here. The hours are also restricted, I'm unsure why, but I guess it's so people know when to be home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 :iagree: I cannot imagine having kids ringing the doorbell all day long for treats! Is that how it looks in places without designated times? Having your day constantly interrupted by candy seekers would ruin the day for me fast. I like the scheduled times- I can sit and watch an old movie and tend the door as needed without having my day interrupted. No time designated here but kids know to only go up to houses that have the porch light on. Most people put theirs on around 5:30 and turn them off between 8 & 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Our city always has trick or treat the Sunday before Halloween between 3 and 5 pm. If you go any other time, people will not be giving out candy. The time is published on city websites, local newspapers, and TV station websites. No trick or treating in the dark here. The police send out extra patrols to the neighborhoods during that time. I live in a university community and, believe me, the police will have enough to do tonight without having young children running all over in the dark! Having a set time is a great neighborhood experience. If the weather is nice, everybody sits outside in their driveway and hands out candy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 It's not the job of the city to tell me when my kids can go outside. Nor is it the city's job to tell me when I need to be home to give glow sticks out to the neighborhood. I'm big on regulation, and even I can't see that the government needs to get involved in this sort of grassroots civic activity, no more than I need to be told whether to give presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (or Little Christmas, as we do), or to be told whether or not my kids can walk to school alone or have to be escorted. (Or vice versa.) As for creepy, inspecting candy is creepy too. The very premise is bizarre. It is a complete waste of time. No child has ever been poisoned by a stranger handing out candy. (Two children once were poisoned by their father for insurance money on Halloween.) Participating in this sort of nonsensical security theater just perpetuates the creepy and patronizing idea that we need to be afraid at all times. Afraid of our own neighborhoods, for crying out loud. It's disgusting. It's not an ordinance, for goodness sake. Just a suggestion, and you're welcome to give out glow sticks and/or let your children outside whenever you'd darn well like! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Our city always has trick or treat the Sunday before Halloween between 3 and 5 pm. If you go any other time, people will not be giving out candy. The time is published on city websites, local newspapers, and TV station websites. No trick or treating in the dark here. The police send out extra patrols to the neighborhoods during that time. I live in a university community and, believe me, the police will have enough to do tonight without having young children running all over in the dark! Having a set time is a great neighborhood experience. If the weather is nice, everybody sits outside in their driveway and hands out candy. Not being on Halloween seems so weird to me. What do you do on Halloween then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Not being on Halloween seems so weird to me. What do you do on Halloween then? Put up your Thanksgiving decor-- or if you're really ambitious-- your Christmas tree! ;) Our neighborhood suggests 6-8, but it's not a hard and fast rule. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I don't know about the actual town/township, but our large development does. People really only trick or treat along the main road because houses are more clustered there. We don't have sidewalks, the roads are lined with drainage ditches, the road is narrow, there aren't any lights, and we have lots of nocturnal wildlife. During TOT, the speed limit is lowered and our private security service keeps an eye on things. I prefer the normalcy of the suburbs, but this works well for our location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelbe5 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Yes, we do. It is always the Sunday before Halloween from 2-4pm if it lands on a weekday. If it lands on a Saturday, like today, it is from 2-4. If had been on the Sunday, we would have had it tomorrow. I like the designated time and not having children running around, crossing streets in the dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Well, I definitely learned something today! In my small 38 years of life I've always lived where there is a designated time. Interesting that it seems like that option is not the normal option. Now I know if we ever move to a different area! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Yes, from 6-8pm. The population of our city is about 180,000. (SE VA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 All this afternoon trick or treating is so weird to me. When did Halloween night become Halloween afternoon? Bizarre. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Not only are there designated times around where I live, there are also designated days that usually don't even correspond with Halloween's actual date on the 31st. Many places had their trick or treating last Tuesday for instance. It's really, really weird. Many kids (and parents) capitalize on this and will go all over on different days. Some parents living in later day areas send their kids trick or treating to earlier day areas and use the candy they get to give out on Halloween. High schoolers like to brag about all the loot they pull in and from where. I've no idea who came up with the idea, but it's a crappy one if you ask me. When my kids were trick or treating age, we took them to an area that celebrated Halloween ON Halloween. Even this (at the time) younger dog couldn't learn that new trick (changing dates). It just seems wrong - even after living here for 19 years. Restricting hours ON the actual date is just fine by me. Creekland and I live in the same general area. I was going to post this exact post but she beat me to it. Our town (population 7,000), has trick or treat hours from 6-8. I'm sitting here waiting for ds to get on his costume and we'll head out soon. It's important to me to ToT on Halloween. Don't know why. Any other day just doesn't have the same thrill. But many of the towns around here have their ToT day on other days and it doesn't make a lick of sense to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 All this afternoon trick or treating is so weird to me. When did Halloween night become Halloween afternoon? Bizarre. This is just a guess on my part, but I wonder if it's because Halloween has turned into more of an adult holiday in many places or for many people. Someone upthread mentioned afternoon ToTing and the police having their hands full on H'ween night in their University town. I assume that is U student partying and drinking, etc. Just my experience, but it seems that Halloween has becomes scarier/uglier and more adult-oriented. That said, I was just at the mall and there was a lot of ToTing going on there at 5pm. So cute. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 It's not the job of the city to tell me when my kids can go outside. Nor is it the city's job to tell me when I need to be home to give glow sticks out to the neighborhood. I'm big on regulation, and even I can't see that the government needs to get involved in this sort of grassroots civic activity, no more than I need to be told whether to give presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day (or Little Christmas, as we do), or to be told whether or not my kids can walk to school alone or have to be escorted. (Or vice versa.) As for creepy, inspecting candy is creepy too. The very premise is bizarre. It is a complete waste of time. No child has ever been poisoned by a stranger handing out candy. (Two children once were poisoned by their father for insurance money on Halloween.) Participating in this sort of nonsensical security theater just perpetuates the creepy and patronizing idea that we need to be afraid at all times. Afraid of our own neighborhoods, for crying out loud. It's disgusting. We don't have a time, but I don't find it 'disgusting.' If a community knows trick or treating was from 6-8, people could avoid traveling at that time and the kids would have fewer cars to negotiate. I imagine it's a community guideline that a critical mass of residents agreed to at some point and not an actual law that involved the local government. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Other....I have no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 All this afternoon trick or treating is so weird to me. When did Halloween night become Halloween afternoon? Bizarre. Agreed. I can handle a designated time, although 2 hours seems short. But it should at least not be early afternoon! I have great memories of being out after dark with my friends. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Agreed. I can handle a designated time, although 2 hours seems short. But it should at least not be early afternoon! I have great memories of being out after dark with my friends. Yeah, there was something really cool about being allowed out around the neighborhood after dark. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I was stunned to learn from our new neighbor that back east there are designated times and even designated days other than Oct. 31st. This is The West. We don't take to regulation so easily. :lol: I was thinking that this must be an "out west" thing, because I've lived in small towns and big cities in the mid-Atlantic states and have family up and down the East Coast, and this thread is the first I've ever heard of such a thing. I'm in the "this is completely bizarre and over-controlling" camp. So far we've had ToTers in the under-4 group between 4 and 6, and I expect the older kids to start coming any minute now. I can't even imagine it any other way. What happens if parents have to work? If kids have after-school classes or sports or events? Do those kids just miss out? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 :lol: I was thinking that this must be an "out west" thing, because I've lived in small towns and big cities in the mid-Atlantic states and have family up and down the East Coast, and this thread is the first I've ever heard of such a thing. I'm in the "this is completely bizarre and over-controlling" camp. So far we've had ToTers in the under-4 group between 4 and 6, and I expect the older kids to start coming any minute now. I can't even imagine it any other way. What happens if parents have to work? If kids have after-school classes or sports or events? Do those kids just miss out? We're in South Central PA - hardly out west. I've no idea how the tradition here started, but it's one we didn't buy into when we moved here. I don't mind the 6pm - 8pm rules. Halloween just has to happen on Halloween - and after dark - and with costumes. Otherwise, what's the point? I'm glad there were places we could take our boys to so they could experience real Halloween rather than the local custom of heading to houses on a given day (or two or three) to get candy. I suspect what's tradition is what one is brought up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 All this afternoon trick or treating is so weird to me. When did Halloween night become Halloween afternoon? Bizarre. Right around the time a girl was murdered on Halloween. She went out to ToT and never came home. To my understanding, that is when my region started having designated hours and parents started inspecting candy. (Note: candy did not play a role in the crime IIRC. But inspecting candy was something parents could do to make themselves feel safer.) And again, our town has downtown business ToT in late afternoon, with neighborhood hours in early evening. Sometimes, as a pp mentioned, towns will do it on a different day to allow kids the opportunity to ToT in more than one place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Huh...I didn't realize that not having a designated time was a thing. Everywhere I've lived has had one. I knew that there wasn't such a thing when my parents were kids, but I assumed that changed about the time parents had to start inspecting candy. I find it so strange to not have a time. I can't come up with a single reason it would be creepy or patronizing. I am the opposite. I have never heard of having a specified time for trick or treating, and I can't think of a reason for having one. The littles show up at 5is, the second wave starts around 6 and by 8:30 you are done. I live in a city of over 30,000 with two colleges, so there is a pretty good mix of young people going trick or treating. But there is a noticeable decline around 8pm. And the city didn't even have to tell us to do it, we manage it all by ourselves. I am not really sure how the city would communicate it... Well, once a big hurricane hit on Halloween, it was just a couple years ago. Was it Sandy? We got the remnents and it was nasty, but not a crisis. The city did manage to get word out via twitter, facebook and school notices, radio etc of could we please postpone Halloween by a night. It worked out ok. It was raining so hard on Halloween that I don't think anyone was upset. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 No, and while the population is below 50k it's only by a few thousand people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom23Boys Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I had no idea there were places that didn't have set times. Our times are always 6-8. We are a suburb with ~10k people and live right outside a city with ~230,000. All of the areas have designated days/times. It is usually done on 10/31, but a few years ago, there was a ton of drama surrounding when to ToT. Halloween fell on a Saturday when there was a big LSU game at home. People wanted it moved, but some didn't want it on Sunday night because of church and some didn't want it on Friday because of high school football games. It ended up with all the areas around us having different times and days for ToT. After that, our parish council made an ordinance that said no matter what day Halloween fell on, ToT would be that day. BUT, we were supposed to have bad weather today, so our parish president declared a state of emergency to change ToT to last night. I personally thought that was a little dramatic, but whatever. It doesn't affect us anyway because we don't ToT. Of course, some people were upset because of high school football games. Since LSU had a bye weekend this weekend, it wasn't a big deal on that end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 We're just over 100k. There are no designated times and ToT is on Halloween. On the other hand, it seems like a week long event between 2 of the high schools having ToT earlier in the week, 2 assisted living homes hosting a ToT, the mall, the downtown, 2 shopping centers, and the nature center having Halloween events the week or day of. Some people hit those to avoid being out at dark, avoid their neighborhood at night, or take younger kids. Some people hit many...they must really like candy. ;) It's not my thing to have a designated time and I think having having a designated separate day is silly, but different strokes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Our town designates the day and time. Rarely is ToT on Halloween, but it's always 5-8. Last year ToT was changed because there was a football game on Halloween. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 It's not an ordinance, for goodness sake. Just a suggestion, and you're welcome to give out glow sticks and/or let your children outside whenever you'd darn well like! So if it's just a suggestion, why does the city have to get involved in officially telling people? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 We live outside Washington DC in the suburbs. No designated time. I lived in a smaller city in the same state growing up and never knew of anyone having a designated time. Generally, people start as it's just starting to get dark. You might get a few very young kids around 5:30ish and no one is really out much past 9:00. Most are out between 6-8:30 but there is no set time for it. Our neighborhood does send out a reminder in the monthly newsletter in October reminding people that if porch lights are off it means the house is "closed" on Halloween. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Ours does not, but there is always lists of surrounding areas and when their times are. Next to our town's name it just says "no official times" I wouldn't mind having official times at all- even though we usually end up turning the light out early because we run out of candy. We often have 400 TorTers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I've recently moved and my new town (pop. less than 10,000) has a designated trick-or-treat time - 6 to 8. Where I previously lived (pop. greater than 150,000), you'd see kids out anywhere from 5pm to 11pm. Does your town have a designated time? I didn't even know this could be a thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 When i was a kid and we lived in the city, we trick or treated on Beggar's Night...10/30. We moved to the suburbs and all the kids thought that was bizarre! The suburban kids only trick or treated on 10/31. Our town does have hours 6 - 8, but we do get littles before 6 and bigguns after 8. It's all good. I only had one Elsa this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 The porch (or in our case patio) light protocol is strictly adhered to around here. If you don't want people ringing or knocking before or after a certain time, just turn off the light. No one will bother you. The exception is the Native American kids when I lived 10 miles south of here in a neighborhood that bordered tribal land. They don't usually wear costumes and they don't follow the patio light rule. If you tape a note to the doorbell that says, "Out of candy" they won't ring. They may or may not say, "Trick of Treat!" when you open the door, but they say "Thank you." Some years they trick or treat in that neighborhood and other years they don't. There's no predicting it. Their neighborhoods are unpaved, unlit and the houses are so far away it doesn't make any sense to T or T there. They just come to the suburbs and T or T with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Not being on Halloween seems so weird to me. What do you do on Halloween then? My sister's city did this once! Because it was a weeknight. It was odd. But, whatever. Honestly, I don't think the kids cared that much. They may or may not say, "Trick of Treat!" when you open the door, but they say "Thank you." That was the kids at our house tonight! Not Indian kids. Just immigrant kids I guess. They would stand their and hold their bag, even the older ones. Then they are very polite! My American kids though... sigh... I had to remind them every time. "SAY THANK YOU!" So if it's just a suggestion, why does the city have to get involved in officially telling people? Well, in my sister's city, it was mainly for the sake of the old people and people with babies. I don't see a problem with organizing it. Lots of societies have social norms and our society hasn't developed these over hundreds of years so you have to announce it. You are free to walk around and knock on doors whenever you please but I personally think it's nice to know when to expect people. They aren't telling people where to go or how to dress but approximately what times it's best to go if you want to avoid waking up sleeping babies or old ladies! You're not going to get arrested. It's to inform those who want to be helpful, not to force people to change their basic way of life. I mean who cares when you start? People just want to get candy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 That sounds horribly Kafkaesque. Just, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Have never heard of such thing. Not here, at least that I know of. I think the latest we've had is 9pmish which is fine...not sure I'd like trick or treaters pass that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Other....I have no idea. I know it's obnoxious to quote yourself, but I looked it up and it varies widely from none to set hours to "start in the late afternoon and early evening hours." Huh! Who knew? Eta: Our population is 580,000. Many nearby smaller towns run into one another, so the city proper seems much larger than it actually is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Hmm, I plan the Halloween festivities for our community here. When I "scheduled" trick or treating for 6-8 I didn't think I was being authoritarian. I did it so that the people at home would know when to be at home. And so that drivers would know when to be aware of extra kids in the road. And so that security would be extra alert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Hmm, I plan the Halloween festivities for our community here. When I "scheduled" trick or treating for 6-8 I didn't think I was being authoritarian. I did it so that the people at home would know when to be at home. And so that drivers would know when to be aware of extra kids in the road. And so that security would be extra alert. That's not dramatic enough for this bunch. It can't be out of consideration for the older people so they can know when they're on duty and when they can rest for the night. It can't be so no one has to wonder if it's too late, too early, or when's the last possible minute they can buy candy. Nope. Kafka. I've never even lived in a place with designated hours, but I find the level of offense taken to the very idea that Halloween isn't an open-ended free-for-all a wee bit paranoid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Shouldn't drivers always be aware that there may be pedestrians? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 Shouldn't drivers always be aware that there may be pedestrians? Is this a real question that you want answered? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I just think that if you need people to tell you "be careful of children", then maybe you shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel of a multi-ton machine that reaches extremely high velocities. I mean, how bad are these supposed drivers? Do they regularly careen down residential streets? Isn't that a bigger problem than the thorny issue of when people should trick or treat? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 So, I checked, and we had a few trick or treaters, maybe 3? Start around 6pm. The rest were from 7-9pm, with a few random ones from 9-9:30. We really like halloween, so stayed out till 9:30, but we could easily have just turned the porch light off at 9pm like the majority of the neighbors. We wouldn't have been bothered then, no one bothers you if the light is off. It doesn't get dark until 7 here so that seemed about right. Now, don't get me started on the neighbors that broke out fireworks at 10pm. What the heck?? Wrong holiday, people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I just think that if you need people to tell you "be careful of children", then maybe you shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel of a multi-ton machine that reaches extremely high velocities. I mean, how bad are these supposed drivers? Do they regularly careen down residential streets? Isn't that a bigger problem than the thorny issue of when people should trick or treat? In our development, they're BAAAAAD. Our speed limit is 25mph, and our security regularly hands out tickets for going 40mph and higher. I think our fastest was 73mph. (It's been a few years since I was on the arbitration committee and had to read the citations.) And we have very narrow, curvy roads. The driving I witnessed during TOT hours (which were posted all over AND emailed to all homeowners, and it was only 2 hours) was ridiculous. People honking horns, people swerving around crowds like jackasses, parents driving TOTers and blocking traffic. Wouldn't it be great if those people just didn't exist? But they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted November 1, 2015 Share Posted November 1, 2015 I just think that if you need people to tell you "be careful of children", then maybe you shouldn't be allowed behind the wheel of a multi-ton machine that reaches extremely high velocities. I mean, how bad are these supposed drivers? Do they regularly careen down residential streets? Isn't that a bigger problem than the thorny issue of when people should trick or treat? Of course people should always be on the lookout for pedestrians. But Halloween night is extra frightening because there are a lot of kids who are out after dark, crossing intersections, and who may be dressed in dark costumes and might run out into the street. It all happens so quickly, and when you live in town like we do, an intersection might have kids darting out in all four directions at once! And then there are plenty of kids who dart across the street where there isn't an intersection at all. It's no different than the way they remind drivers that school is starting back up and to watch for children. It's a new situation for a lot of kids and drivers who don't have school age kids might not realize school is back in session. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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