Yachats Oregon Writer Rick Schultze

Halloween is just around the corner, one of my favorite days! We here on the Central Oregon coast love to celebrate and even though our communities are small and many rather rural, Halloween seems to bring out the best in community efforts to give the Halloween celebrants the best Halloweens they can have. I know several communities, youth organizations and radio stations that host Halloween and pre-Halloween parties for the kids and many churches, businesses and service clubs do that as well. If a trick or treater is skilled in logistics and is mobile they can do rather well in the treat department with some well timed moves from one event to another. But in Oregon Halloween can often be a night of wind and rain which can drive all but the most dedicated trick or treater back inside. Years ago schools used to allow Halloween parties at school but I don’t believe that happens these days in the time of Political Correctness which is a shame. Nothing sadder than eager youngsters getting ready to hit the trail for treats and their parents or guardians squashing the idea because of the dark, wet, and downright scary weather.

However, I think I have a solution to this. Halloween should be observed on the last Saturday of October nearest to, or on, October 31^st . And I think it should be observed during the day time. My logic behind this is that many people spend time, effort, and money on costumes which never get seen by people. In Yachats we don’t have a lot of trick or treaters on Halloween night because the village is spread out up and down hills with many vacant homes but if the colorful costumed trick or treaters where parading about doing the day they would be seen by many more people and I’m sure would receive more treats by visiting the villagers in broad daylight. Even in inclement weather it’s easier to hit the treat trail in the daylight when you can see where you’re going. It’s a bit easier for kids in Waldport and Florence because of the concentration of homes in neighborhoods but anywhere a daylight parade of costumed gremlins would brighten up even a gloomy October day.

So this year Halloween does fall on a Saturday and after a quick check on AcuWeather it appears that the daytime is going to be sunny and the night just a bit cloudy so with the combination of a Saturday and decent weather I’d say this might be the perfect day for Halloween!

Enjoy it, be good to the trick or treaters, and don’t let them scare you!

To reach Rick Schultze email: yarik@pioneer.net