To those hearty souls heading out in search of candy on Oct. 31, Happy Halloween.
And to those hitting the streets on Nov. 2, after some officials had effectively changed the calendar this year on account of rain, I wish you well, too, with a slight variation.
Happy Halloweenie.
I mention weenie because Iโm a holiday traditionalist looking to toughen up our youth. And their parents. Since when has it become fashionable to move a special day like this to another slot?
Christmas is on Dec. 25, not the 27th. Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday each November, not the third.
And Halloween is, and forever will be, on Oct. 31.
Rain or shine.
So far, Concord kiddies are not weenies. At least they werenโt as of press time. Their trick or treating remains on track for the 31st, despite a forecast that calls for wind and rain.
But my cellphone predicts temperatures in the upper 60s. Put on a slicker. Wear your superhero or Gumby or fairy princess outfit on the outside. Maybe add a pair of galoshes.
Youโll be fine. Probably.
Figuring out whoโs in control of these kinds of decisions was hard to pinpoint. At times, the police told me to call the town. Then the town told me to call the police.
Meanwhile, Sue Stevens, the city of Concordโs executive assistant, told me that Halloween is bigger than one person. She spoke about the calendar, about a higher power.
โThe city council has determined that the city does not set the dates for Halloween and trick or treating,โ Stevens told me. โItโs always just based on tradition. Itโs just what happens every year. Itโs not something the city sets. It just happens.โ
Not in some parts of the state. News broke this week that a bunch of towns had switched to Halloweenie mode, changing the holiday to Nov. 2, a Saturday. This group includes Nashua, Enfield, Salem and Hudson.
โAll departments decide,โ said a woman at the Hudson town hall. โThe board, administrators, police, fire, public works and the electric company put out a warning. They all had to agree. Itโs not an individual who made this decision.โ
Kerry Miller, the media contact for Nashua police, sent me a press release that stated, โThe Nashua Police Department and city leaders cited safety concerns due to an inclement weather forecast on Halloween night.โ
Even Lincoln, a town one hour north of here, known for its rugged mountains, 300-pound bears and classic, sturdy steam-powered trains changed their date, moving it to Friday.
Weenies? In Lincoln?
The chief there, Chad Morris, made that decision, I was told, after conferring with other officials in town.
In Salem, Town Manager Chris Dillon wrote in an email that the โchief of the police department makes a recommendation to the board of selectmen and the board has always adopted that recommendation (to my knowledge).โ
โI understand that many people have different feelings on the subject,โ added Dillon. โI looked at the matter from the standpoint that Halloween is on October 31st. (Neither) the chief, board of selectmen nor the town can or will change that.โ
But celebrating Halloweenie, does, in fact, change that. Lt. Robert Giggi of the Nashua Police Department speculated that parents these days worry more than they used to, telling me, โIt seems like the weather did not figure into it at that time and nowadays it does. That is what we go by. People are more cautious and aware of safety for their kids.โ
Yes, things have changed. Parents oftentimes drive their kids around a neighborhood. Or they walk with them. There are set hours. Fill a little plastic pumpkin to the top with candy and you were done.
Me? We hit the streets right after grade school let out. No parents. No car. No set hours. And certainly no puny pumpkin. We used shopping bags, and when one filled up, we took it home, grabbed another and set out in search of more candy.
Once, my bag was so heavy that I dragged it along the street to get it home, before the bottom ripped open from the friction.
And, of course, this all happened on Halloween, Oct. 31, no matter the conditions outside.
Not on Halloweenie, Nov. 2.
But safety and comfort are the goals these days. Ryan Aylesworth, the town manager in Enfield, grew up in the western mountains of Maine, so he understood my point.
To an extent.
โIt was not uncommon for it to snow on Halloween where I came from,โ Aylesworth told me. โAnd if we were looking at snow here, there would have been no changes, but itโs one thing to have dry snow, and itโs another thing to have a driving rainstorm like we had over the weekend.โ
One problem that might surface in towns that will celebrate Halloweenie is this: what happens to the kids who didnโt hear that Nov. 2 was their day to trick or treat? What happens if those kids celebrate Halloween, as they should, but households they visit have prepared for Halloweenie?
โI do believe that is a possibility,โ Dillon wrote in an email. โWe notified schools, have it up on social media, the townโs website, signs are going up everywhere. It is up to the people that live in the homes as to what they want to do if someone does approach their door (Thursday) night.โ
And this from Aylesworth: โI am a father of kids five and three years old, and I know it would be heartbreaking if they got all dressed up and they show up on someoneโs doorstep and they come up empty.
โPeopleรขยยรขยยรขยย preparing for trick or treaters on Saturday will already have a supply on hand, so the kids might get an early treat. That would be the nice, neighborly thing to do, if at all possible.โ
Penacook was supplied and ready to go on Oct. 30. Penacook is always ready to go the day before Halloween, declared by its officials to help police monitor that area before shifting their focus to Concord the next day.
Kerri Broas, 40, grew up in Penacook and graduated from Merrimack Valley High School. I found her Wednesday on Abbott Street, wearing cat ears and fully prepared with a wagon, glow sticks, socks, jackets, umbrellas, flashlights and juice boxes.
Her son, eight-year-old Ethan Broas, had a combo costume, mixing the Joker and Pennywise. His face was powder white, his hair clown red.
Kerri, a nurse, took the day off to walk with her son and his friends during their version of Halloween. Sheโs working on Oct. 31 so other parents can take their children out on the day labeled Halloween.
โIโm glad,โ Kerri said. โItโs going to rain tomorrow.โ