Help Make Halloween Fun Again

Before delving into this week’s subject matter, early voting ends this week throughout the area, and the actual Election Day is Tuesday.

Regardless of your political persuasion, I urge each registered voter to cast their ballot. A representative republic, which is the type of government we have, works best when qualified voters are involved in the process.

And one more thing, when casting your ballot make sure what you are voting for, or against. Short-term problems and long-term issues can be two entirely different things.

Now, on to this week’s subject …

WHEN I was a kid, Halloween was so much fun.

There were some isolated instances of bad things happening, but such activity was rare and typically most often simply mischief and not malicious.

In years gone by, parents often dressed up with their children and the family unit stayed in familiar neighborhoods or areas to go trick-or-treating. Sometimes it would be a group of children with a larger group of parents walking with them; parents watching over all the kids. It was not until we were older that we were allowed to go trick-or-treating by ourselves, which was considered a privilege.

I distinctly remember one home that was always decorated for Halloween. In a rocking chair on the front porch, there sat a scarecrow. We had gotten used to seeing that scarecrow so paid it no attention when we walked up on Halloween night. But on Halloween night, it was a man dressed as the scarecrow and he had fun scaring all of us. When that scarecrow moved and spoke, children scattered.

It was really fun – watching it happen to someone else.

Halloween has changed over the years and as with most things not all of the changes have been good ones.

Halloween has become a time that parents must be very protective of their children because there are people who would cause them injury, deriving some warped sense of pleasure from doing so.

HALLOWEEN can still be fun, but we have to be more cautious and careful, and here are some safety tips to consider. The list is not inclusive but hopefully gives you some ideas.

• Do not allow younger children to go trick-or-treating without responsible adult supervision.

• Only go to homes where the porch light has been left on. This unofficially signals an invitation. If the porch light is off, even if Halloween decorations are lit, go somewhere else.

• Stay in neighborhoods where you know the residents and the residents know you.

• Carry a working flashlight and make sure motorists see you.

• Make sure costumes do not block vision and that manufactured costumes are fire retardant.

• Costumes should include bright reflective colors.

• Don’t run. Instead walk and stay on sidewalks whenever possible. If sidewalks are not available, be sure to walk facing traffic.

• Stay away from dogs. Even nice neighborhood dogs that you might know can react mean if you’re in a costume.

• All treats should be carefully inspected before eating. Check candies to make sure the wrappers are still sealed and throw away any that are suspect. Carefully inspect any fruits for puncture marks or bruises. Discard any that look suspect.

• Candies or gummies wrapped in a package without a recognizable name or manufacturer should be discarded.

• Make sure any knives, swords, or axes, or other “sharp” objects are made of flexible rubber and not hard plastic.

MORE adults are joining trick-or-treating and that is good as it helps keep the bad element at bay.

If we all work together to keep Halloween safe, we can help Make Halloween Fun Again.

That’s my opinion.

Andy Kober can be reached at andykober@hotmail.com