trick or treat or not.... no candy for you!

[Mistress Morigianna]

Teens can't trick-or-treat in this Illinois town
by Bethany Sanders Oct 26th 2008 1:00PM

A few weeks ago, Jennifer asked the question: How old is too old for trick-or-treating? Most of the commenters on that post thought that kids should be able to trick-or-treat as long as they want, even well into their high school years.

But in Belleville, Illinois, kids in high school might want to find other plans for the night. The town recently passed an ordinance that bans kids from ninth grade and up from trick-or-treating, unless they're escorting younger siblings. Parents of children who break the rule will be fined $25.

At first glance, this seems heavy-handed. After all, I'd rather see kids out grubbing for candy than partying on Halloween. It doesn't bother me to give a teenager a piece of candy any more than it does to give one to an adult who's trick-or-treating with a baby who's far too young to eat it. But Belleville's mayor says the ordinance was passed to stop teens from ringing doorbells past nine o'clock, a practice that scared local senior citizens.

So teens, take notice. If you want to keep your trick-or-treating rights, follow the rules: If the porch light is off, walk on by and resist the urge to "trick" someone who doesn't want to give you a treat.

another source:
BELLEVILLE, Ill., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- An Illinois town has banned children who have left the eighth grade from trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert, who signed the ordinance on Tuesday, said that many residents have complained about teenagers ringing their doorbells late on Halloween evening.

"We were hearing more and more about bigger kids knocking on doors after 9 at night, and the people who lived in the homes were scared," Eckert told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The seniors were especially scared. They didn't want to be the recipient of some kind of trick; they didn't want to open their doors late at night, either."

The ordinance sets a curfew for trick-or-treating. Children who are in the ninth-grade or beyond can only trick-or-treat if they are escorting younger siblings.

Parents whose children break the rules can be fined $25.

The ordinance also bans adults who have been convicted of molesting children from entertaining trick-or-treaters. They must turn off their outside lights and keep the candy locked away.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/10/22/Town_bans_teens_from_trick-or-treating/UPI-10861224710152/

[Mistress Morigianna]

shouldn't they fine the high schoolers not thier parents?

[Ysobelle]

shouldn't they fine the high schoolers not thier parents?


Not if they're minors, I'd think.

[Mistress Morigianna]

i guess i was just thinking- your teens go to a halloween party. they decide to put on football jerseys and go trick or treating and you get a cop at your door with fine ticket.... and the kids are going - hahahahahaha we got candy and you got a bill!!

They should just make it a no-no for everyone to trick ot treat after say 9 or 10

[Magdalene]

Heh......my grandma lives in Belleville, and she's one of the seniors (she turned 92 in July) who was having issues. I think last year, teenagers were ringing her doorbell, and if she didn't answer, they ran 'round her house and started thumping on windows. I rather wished I'd been there so I could've thumped on them.

I'm not quite sure what I think about passing an ordinance, but every so often, I find myself thinking, "For all that we complain about stupid laws like this, they're oftentimes a reflection of our own poor common sense that they had to be passed in the first place."

[lavender r dragon]

whats wrong with just imposing a curfew and charging the fine after the curfew? our town - on their website and in the city paper says "trick or treating 6-8pm on oct 31st. if you want to hand out candy, turn on your light or put something white on your door/porch"?

i didn't know that many teens went trick or treating...but it doesn't sound like teens going trick or treating is the problem....it sounds like teens being stupid is the problem...

[Jamianne]

My parent's town and in-laws areas have vurfews for Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. I don't have a problem with that - I wish we had one (or if we do, it's not enforced). I'm usually in bed by 9-10, anyway and don't need people banging on the door after that. Especially with Gwydion being asleep by then, too. The year before last, I was 8 months pregnant and was not about to walk downstairs to open the door every few minutes. Our porch lights were out and the shades were down and I was in the back bedroom on my laptop, so there was nothing to indicate from the outside that anyone was home. We not only had people - teenagers - ring the bell, but then they'd hammer on the door as hard as they could, and then push open our mail slot and yell for candy through it. It went on until damn near midnight.

[Magdalene]

My parent's town and in-laws areas have vurfews for Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. I don't have a problem with that - I wish we had one (or if we do, it's not enforced). I'm usually in bed by 9-10, anyway and don't need people banging on the door after that. Especially with Gwydion being asleep by then, too. The year before last, I was 8 months pregnant and was not about to walk downstairs to open the door every few minutes. Our porch lights were out and the shades were down and I was in the back bedroom on my laptop, so there was nothing to indicate from the outside that anyone was home. We not only had people - teenagers - ring the bell, but then they'd hammer on the door as hard as they could, and then push open our mail slot and yell for candy through it. It went on until damn near midnight.

Yeah.....I trick or treated up through high school, but my parents were very clear that 1.) I had to wear a costume, 2.) Only houses with lights on, and 3.) My butt better be home by nine-fifteen, because people had to work the next day. (9:45 if Halloween fell on a Friday or Saturday night). And any reports of trouble from me were likely to get me killed.

But all this would require parents actually, oh gee, keeping track of their kids....::eyeroll::

[Pansy Faye]

We have a curfew in our town - doesn't mean a thing.

I won't give out candy to anyone who is old enough to get a job and buy their own.

I won't give out candy after the curfew.

I don't give out candy to any kid I don't know from the neighborhood and who doesn't have a parent with them.

I've had my windows broken, tires slashed and eggs and garbage strewn across my yard and my house.

I hate trick-or-treating. I hated it when I was a kid, all the begging for candy, and I hate it now. Take you kid to the store buy them $10 worth of candy and keep them home.

[FairieTink]

My kids are in 8th grade and a Freshman, I let them both go out. They both have to be home early, they both know to be respectful. They dress in full costume, not some ripped shirt and messed haif saying you are a bum, or zombie or whatever.

We love this holiday, I dressup myself to give treats away and I don't mind the age, hell I usually give to the parents that bring the smaller kids around.

[voodookatie]

We have a curfew in our town - doesn't mean a thing.

I won't give out candy to anyone who is old enough to get a job and buy their own.

I won't give out candy after the curfew.

I don't give out candy to any kid I don't know from the neighborhood and who doesn't have a parent with them.

I've had my windows broken, tires slashed and eggs and garbage strewn across my yard and my house.

I hate trick-or-treating. I hated it when I was a kid, all the begging for candy, and I hate it now. Take you kid to the store buy them $10 worth of candy and keep them home.

That was the saddest night of my life. My mother never really got into the Halloween thing, and it was a holiday I really loved (for the dressing up part and running around a neighborhood supervised and showing people my costume). But my parents wouldn't spend much money on a costume, but they would take us out once in a while. When I finally was old enough to buy my own costume it was too late and I was too old (last year I trick-or-treated I took my exchange student from Ecuador).

Now I'm old enough to go to the bar and flaunt my costume, and old enough to scare the crap out of little children when they try to come for candy.

[RaevynCait]

I don't remember when my mom set the cutoff age for trick or treating, but I'm thinking I was probably 13 or 14, but we had specific rules:

Only houses of people we knew, with lights on
A PARENT, not just a random adult had to be with our group all the time
Home before it got totally dark.

It amazed me that in the last neighborhood Mom & I lived in, there were probably a hundred kids or so who didn't live in the area trick or treating. I say they didn't live in the area because, well, in about a 4 block radius, on our side of the major street 6 houses away from us, there were perhaps a dozen kids, and we easily had 150 or so trick or treaters every year, mostly non-english speaking (we were in an affluent, 95% English as first language area of town), mostly without adult supervision, save for the mini van at the far end of the block that dropped off 10 or so in a batch. We almost always ran out of candy, largely because we knew which neighborhood kids to expect, bought enough for them, plus a little extra, and when we ran out, we turned off the light, which didn't stop even teenagers from ringing the bell after that.

The house I lived in last year at halloween I turned off the porch light, but not the motion sensor light mounted on the garage end of the house, as it was a security thing for me. I put a sign on my door in both English and Spanish that said 'no candy'. I put a copy of the same sign on my porch railing, and put my recycle bin across the steps to block access. I turned out all the lights in the front of the house, but since that's where my computer was, I was sitting on the couch surfin' the net, in the dark, save for the monitor screen when the doorbell rang at nearly 10 p.m. REPEATEDLY for about 5 minutes. I finally went and opened it and told the small children "I'm sorry, I don't have any candy" The mother, who was standing at the foot of my porch steps get's all bitchy with me and says "your porch light is on!" I replied, nicely, "no it is not, see?" and flipped the switch on and back off again to show her. She retorted something about the one on the garage, and I told her it was a motion sensor, not a porch light. Yeah, I was rapidly approaching NOT NICE, and as I started to close the door to avoid being as bitchy as she, I heard her say "well you don't have to be a bitch about it." WTF???

I'll quit ranting now. I shouldn't have a problem this year because it's friday night and I'll be at a party at someone else's house!

I will say this, one of my friends doesn't allow her daughter to trick or treat because "we spend 364 days a year telling our children not to talk to strangers, and certainly don't accept anything from them, yet on Halloween we are going to send them out to beg strangers for candy? What message are we sending?"

[Pansy Faye]

That was the saddest night of my life. My mother never really got into the Halloween thing, and it was a holiday I really loved (for the dressing up part and running around a neighborhood supervised and showing people my costume). But my parents wouldn't spend much money on a costume, but they would take us out once in a while. When I finally was old enough to buy my own costume it was too late and I was too old (last year I trick-or-treated I took my exchange student from Ecuador).

Now I'm old enough to go to the bar and flaunt my costume, and old enough to scare the crap out of little children when they try to come for candy.

we never had store bought costumes. we were hobos in old clothes beloning to dad or ghosts (just like Charlie Brown with a sheet and eye holes cut out), scarecrows, i was a soldier the first year stateside wearing my little GI fatigues, my sister was a princess wearing and old cocktail dress of my mother's. My daughter was TV at school one year I made out of a box.

I love the dress up I just hate the door to door begging and then the nasties afterward.

[LdyJhawk]

In Redmond we had, I think, one trick or treater.

Here? They come, OH they come. We live near an elementary school and in a family neighborhood so I sort of love it. Last year we put up only one decoration, a sign with an arrow that said, "strangers with candy" (we'd just moved into the neighborhood) and you know we had more parents dragging their kids to the door to tell us that was brilliant than I'd ever seen..

Polite kids. tiny kids. Teenagers who insisted they TOTALLY knew me FOR REAL NO SERIOUSLY..one kid dressed in all black with a sign that said "invisible pedestrian" that made me ask if his parents knew what he was wearing....overall, we never had a problem with people coming after about 9.

Maybe it's just living in the city we live in?

[MaidenFaeSnow]

Growing up, we always had an adult around but trick-or-treating was more than just getting candy. It was the fun in the neighbors commenting on your costume, seeing friends costumes, etc. We also had a neighborhood Halloween costume contest parade. A street was closed, lights were put up, there was always cider and donuts and winners won money! I can't remember when I stopped, I think it was around 12-13.

I let my daughter ToT until she just didn't want to do it anymore. Freebird and I held a large yard haunt (http://barden.multiply.com/photos/album/25) for 5 years. We'd get hundreds of kids visiting us. The only people I turned away were teens with no costume whatsoever, (if they didn't put any effort into some sort of costume, I wasn't putting any effort into giving them candy) and kids who came back for seconds.

[Magdalene]

On the teenagers and candy note....I don't care if I get teenage trick or treaters, so long as they have a costume. I did, however, make an exception for one teenager who showed up on my doorstep, pants hanging off his butt, cap on backwards....in other words, what a lot of teenage boys wear.

I told him, "No costume, no candy," and he came back with, "Oh, but I am in costume! In fact, I'm the scariest thing you could possibly imagine!"

Me: "And that would be....?"

Teenager: "I'm the future of America!"

I just about busted a gut laughing, and gave him candy. I figured something that clever deserved some.

[Ariyana Dragonwagon]

I trick or treated all through high school, heck I think my costumes got better when I was in high school. The best year was senior year when I went as and angel and my BF as the devil. This was in the days before they made glitter make up. We coated our faces with vaseline and then patted glitter on our faces (white for me, red for her). Everyone who saw us was awed and amazed (it would so not have the same effect now, when they sell glitter make up lol)
But the removal?? who knew glitter had so many sharp corners! We both had little pock marks on our faces for a week lol.

I let my kids trick or treat as long as they want to, My cousin made her kids stop in 7th grade. Everyone is different. last year Chelsea was in 9th grade and went as a twister game in a costume she made herself. This year she is alternating between Audry Hepburn, a witch or a cat. Xander is in 7th and is going as a skelleton with a bloody face. Breena is 4 and who knows what she will be lol, she changes her mind daily. (we have yet to get her any costume but she uses her dress up stuff to invent) Her latest has her in a witchy dress, with minnie mouse ears and a witch hat (but sadly you don't see the ears then, I am trying to figure out a solution for that) because she has a halloween Mickey mouse clubhouse video where Minnie dresses as a witch. (she is actually dressed as Minnie with a little black nose as I type lol)

We will hit the apartment complex (all townhouses), as usual but the last few years there have been less and less people handing out. We were done last year in 15 minutes! And there are 16 buildings and 128 total townhouse/apartments! So last year we went to another 2 neighborhoods to trick or treat as well. This year I am searching for neighborhoods with sidewalks, last year we were walking in the streets (I had not realized how many neighborhoods were built with no sidewalks, just street and long driveways up to the house. not a safe nor easy proposition with a small girl)

Chelsea generally goes with a group of friends to one or more of thier neighborhoods (so those saying I don't know all the kids, some of them might live by you buy be out with the safety and fun of friends) and then this year will be going to stay the night at another friends where they are having a party. Xander will likely go around the apartments with his friends then come with us when we go somewhere else.

I have on occasion gotten dressed up to walk around with the kids, and when I can stay home to hand out candy again (Since Breena is the last child that will happen eventually lol) I will dress up as well. I used to do a large yeard haunt, now we decorate a bit more indoors but will put some stuff out on Friday. The aprtment Nazi's (aka our new manager, who has some wierd not popular ideas) tried to declare all outside decor was only allowed on weekends. Rather than mess with it twice every weekend this month I am just waiting until Friday morning. First year since I moved here that I am glad I don't have a ton to put outside.
Hope everyone has a safe and fun halloween, however you chose to spend it.

[Andreadoria]

I do believe there should be a curfew I wish we had one.

I live in a good neighborhood and we get tons of kids that live in our area but there are people that come from 2 and 4 neighborhoods over with vans full of kids demanding candy...I excuse the tots from saying Trick or Treat but all I get from the over 6 set is a bag thrust in my face and a demanding look for candy....I only give out spiders and bats or rings any things I can get cheap I like it better than candy. Some times I get a thank you.

As for teenagers I do not care if they are in a costumes but if they are covered in shaving cream and eggs that pisses me off especially when they are knocking over the tots!!!

Quite a few years back they teenagers were so bad they were throwing the cans of shaving cream everywhere and almost hitting the tots on my block. That year the kids wanted me to wear my Lars, Anne rice special, Bat winged skull hilt and a Celtic cross sword, with my vampire look (I am always a vampire in various looks). I yell several times to no avail then the little ones were say you better leave or she will run you through to the teens that were teasing the little ones till I finally had to pull my blade from it hilt and slice a pumpkin to get the point across.

But I sit out side with my treats and sometimes fog the kids I hide foggers in the decorations to hit the kids and at 8pm I put up a sign that says all out. But at 9pm parents are still driving their kids around for stuff ....unbelievable. I was told 3 to 5 block and only blocks we knew the people on and home by 7 the latest.

Halloween has become more of a demand for candy than any fun...Sad

[WenchLadyKate]

My town has a curfew, rules and organization. I know I've mentioned it before. about a week before halloween, signs for the window get mailed out. Got candy and are home? Sign gets taped in the window. Don't wanna? No sign. No sign in the window means to skip that house. I don't know what goes on while I'm not home, but when I am, I'm in costme and probably sitting on my porch waiting... lol

The groups are organized atht he school across from me. Kids in groups of 15-20 with at least 3 adults. 1 adult for 5 kids. At each house, an adult is near the porch making sure every last kid says "trick or treat" and more importantly, "thank you".

ToT'ing ends promptly at 8:30. Any kids under 18 out without an adult (not meaning an 18 year old) caught trick or treating will be given a warning. Get caught again (the pd keeps track somehow) parents get a phone call. I don't know what happens if they get caught a 3rd time, but I'd have no problem with that kid getting into trouble for not listening to the cops. It's basically breaking the ordinance.

Goosey night? forget it. My town? You get caught trashing something that isn't yours? You get in trouble, period. I've lived there for 3 years, and for all 3 years there's been a blue and white parked across the street at the school all night. Cops patrol, and are stationed. There's even foot and bicycle patrols out that night.

I love my town.

[Ariyana Dragonwagon]

The town we live in has trick or treating hours just from 6-8, though sometimes there are a couple stragglers a little after.
WE have a curfew in place all year round kids are to be in by 10:30 I belive on weeknights, 11 or 11:30 I think it is on weekend night. I don't know my kids are home way before that most nights anyway. Xander still has the be home by dark curfew, unless he is at an organized event, such as a football game at school. Then he is also accompanied by myself or someone's parents or Chelsea, if I am picking them up. (she plays in the band at all football and basketball games)

Chelsea usually has to be home by 11:30 unless special arrangemnents are made with me. Even the 11:30 isn;t that often, most of her not being home at night is because she is doing something band related , which is most of the fall, every Friday night (they even play away games) and many saturdays for competetions.

My kids at least are not out wandering the streets or causing trouble. Though I will admit to looking outside and seeing or hearing kids fooling around and wondering where thier parents are, sigh. Too many parents don't seem to care enough these days. Lucky for me my kids hang out with kids whose parents think like I do (ok in terms of rasing kids lol they still look askance at the ren faire and wench thing lol)

[Andreadoria]

I am in Queens and it is like I said a good neighborhood bu our cops DO NOTHING!!!! and I mean nothing...Last 4th of July the house on the corner from me had under age drinking and was shooting fireworks at the houses and under the many many parked cars on my block not to mention the buss and the cops finally came and flashed the lights and did nothing!!!

This is standard practice around here we have one of the worst Police precincts in the city it is always on the top 10 list when the news publishes it. So the kids get away with murder here...eggs and shaving cream and sometimes Nair....joy...and always no supervision and pushing the under 10 group around. The stores on their own stop selling eggs, shaving cream and the like Thursday to anyone under 18. The buses and telephone poles and some cars are covered too.

So it is often left to the blocks to police the unruly kids...I am pretty decent till the teens get wild....I have a 3 strike policy...but I do it for the little ones. I do so love Halloween when I get dressed and do my Vampire make up I have to remember not to be to evil or the toddlers don't come to me and ToT me ...I sit out side instead of waiting for the bell. There are just tooooo many that come. It is like a plague of candy locusts, that never ends but I love it..Last year we had The Frankenstein's the mother was the bride, Dad was a big guy and Franky and their 7 month old was Franky, jr soooooo cute. I even had a Rosie o'Donnell. The Kid was shocked I guessed right. I play Guess the costumes with some of the kids.

[Isabelle Warwicke]

I'm buying a house (closing on it on Halloween.)

You think I'll get trick or treaters at my doorstep the first night I own the home?

[Bronya]

My :rant: is the adults that come to the door with a plastic grocery bag (at least use paper!), that are not dressed, don't have kids and can't speak English. DO NOT COME TO MY DOOR LIKE THAT! PERIOD. The big kids that push the little ones out of the way, YOUR NOT GETTING ANYTHING EITHER! And you better dam well say Thank You! I know times have changed and it can't be like when I was young in the 50's. shoot we took warm candy apples and popcorn balls to eat on the way to the next house to get warm cider. Those were the fun day, you made your costume because most of us didn't have the money to get store bought ones. The nite ended with everyone on the street looking at goodies then home to sperate your candy. I so wish that for my granson. Our church had Trick or Trunk. Everyone decorates their cars, the kids trick or treat from car to car all over the parking lot. It is a fall festival and so much fun for the kids.

[Ariyana Dragonwagon]

"I'm buying a house (closing on it on Halloween.)

You think I'll get trick or treaters at my doorstep the first night I own the home? "

I am betting there is a very good chance if it is a neighborhood with kids, or at least nice sidewalks and such. I would be prepared with a bag of candy to be on the safe side. Afterall, should any not so nice kids see you moving in and then you try to hide inside with no lights on, they might do something not so nice to your new house.

We moved into a house up in Michigan on Halloween back when I was in 4th grade. We didn't get as many that year as the year after, but I know we got some and my mom was scrambling to find things to give them since she had not planned ahead!

Congrats on the house

[Runa]

Our parents used to live in Houston. There would be guys with beards doing ToT. When they moved to Conore Mama was very unsure of how ToTing would go. She loved it. Kids dressed up, all with a parent in charge and the best part was her Old English Sheepdogs love it. They got more pets than the kids did treats. There were 3 little girls that came every year just to see Edward the OES. The last year they were there they said they were not there for the candy but to see Edward and Victoria. Sadly it was also Edward and Victoria's last Halloween, but they made so many kids happy.

[BlueValkyrie27]

When I was in college I was part of an organization called Alpha Phi Omega. It is not a sorority at all. It is a co-ed Service Fraternity affiliated with Boy/Girl Scouts of America.

Every year our members would trick or treat as a service project. We'd get dressed up, of course. Some years we would ask for canned goods for the local shelter (just in time for Thanksgiving) and other years we'd carry the little orange change boxes for UNICEF. We always had a great time and the people were so happy to see older kids doing helpful things. We always got candy as a reward.

At 24 years old I'm sill doing this. I will be going out this year for canned goods and taking my "older" little cousin of 16 to show him the holiday does not have to be all about tricks and candy.

When I'm a parent this will be a tradition I pass down and I think it's a good suggestion for any parent of teenagers who still want to partake in the ToT festivities.

[DameGoode]

I was going to post a very nasty post, but you stopped me, Blue Valekrie. So thanks.

My view, 12 is your last year trick or treating. After that go to a party or throw one. I have turned away multiple obnoxious kids away from my porch every year. If you are what I consider 18, costume or no, no candy for you. If you are any age with out costume, no candy for you.

Yet, I like the idea of trick or treating for UNICEF. Just be patient while the house person has to go get the cans.

PS Katrina and Ella are 3 and 2 this year, CAN'T wait! (unfortunately they wanted to be "fairy princesses".)

[Gemdrite]

I've always had the stance that if you make the effort to dress up, you'll get candy. 2, 12, or 82. If you walk around in regular clothes, thinking you are gonna get candy? Not so much. It's really hard to criticize anybody who dresses up when we spend our summers and other times of the year having so much fun doing it, and what's the harm in getting candy out of it? In fact, I almost have a sliding scale of candy...the better the costume, the more you get! lol.

[Runa]

In college we dressed up and went Trick or Drinking. That's when I learned Brandy Champagne Punch was sneaky and lethal... but ever so good.