When I first moved to Salmon Arm, service clubs used to do a bonfire, hot-chocolate and fireworks on Halloween night on the corner of the parking lot of what is now Mall at Piccadilly, which was then the Co-op.
Everybody headed down there after trick-or-treating. It was a wonderful community gathering.
What I see nowadays, is children parading through the downtown area in what is basically a candy-grab from merchants, while callers knocking on the doors in their neighbourhoods decline.
In my humble opinion, one of the few good things about Halloween is the possibility of community or at least neighbourhood gatherings.
What frightening characters are children exposed to downtown, and how on earth are they meant to deal with that input?
Its a wonderful feeling to feel safe in one’s community, and especially in one’s neighbourhood.
It’s good to have parents chatting while their children run up the path to knock on doors. Let’s take back the night folks.
Invite your neighbours for a bonfire and hot chocolate and get those treats ready for when your little neighbours come calling on Halloween night.
Joan Sturdy