City made the right decision
“It’s as much fun to scare as to be scared.” – Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (1911-1993)
The Halloween season officially came to a close Saturday night – albeit two days later than normal – with children dressed as ghouls, goblins, ghosts and comic-book characters traversing Gate City neighborhoods taking part in the time-honored tradition of trick or treating.
Last week, many local residents thought the city was playing the proverbial trick when it announced that begger’s night was being postponted because of the possibility of inclimate weather, including heavy rain and high winds.
Hundreds took to social media to vent their frustrations on the move, with many citing advanced plans for Saturday.
When Mother Nature failed to rear its masked head Halloween night, may more voiced their displeasure at the decision calling it pointless and saying it robbed area children of a night of fun.
A bit dramatic, really, as trick or treat went off without a hitch Saturday night, with thousands of children enjoying themselves by collecting candy and showing off their spooky and fun costumes.
What’s surprising about the entire situation is the exagerated reaction of parents – and non-arents – alike. Sure, it’s great to have trick or treat on Halloween night. It adds to the overall excitement of the day, but it’s certainly not the end of the world if trick or treat is a day or two before or after the holiday.
What is important is the safety of our children and the adults who accompany them. People fail to remember that trick or treat – for the most part – takes place in residential areas, and rain reduces a driver’s visibility significantly, especially with heavy precipitation.
This means the potential for accidents increase as well, as does the possibility of a young life being cut short by a freak accident.
City officials did the right thing by making the decision to move trick or treat to Saturday night.
Safety is paramount and erring on the side of caution did no harm. The world did not end and children still got to trick or treat.
The old addage that you can’t make everyone happy rings true here. We must consider potential consequences, though, when dealing with our most precious resource – our children.