This year Londonderry has moved Halloween trick-or-treating to Oct. 29 from its traditional date of Oct. 31.
Police Chief Bill Hart, who made the decision, said the change came in response to “lots of complaints by parents who wanted it on weekends.”
This is not the first time the holiday celebration has been moved to the weekend, Hart said.
“We take comments and concerns of our citizens into consideration,” Hart added, noting that the response from parents has been “half and half” this year, with half of parents being unhappy with the decision.
Detective Chris Olson said he’s seen community response as “split 50-50” as well.
Regarding the advantages of moving the holiday to the weekend, Olson said the change “gives more time to families.
“A lot of people don’t have to work on the weekend so you’re not rushing through dinner,” Olson said, adding that children also have the advantage of not having to wake up early for school the next morning, which “could lead to a more fun night for them.”
Still, many Londonderry citizens are not convinced the change is necessary.
In a letter to the editor (see page 4), Kim Pezzetti pointed out that surrounding towns have not rescheduled their Halloween celebrations, which could lead to confusion.
“What I believe the town is failing to recognize is the fact that many of our neighborhoods border other towns,” Pezzetti said, noting that her own neighborhood “runs through Londonderry and Litchfield.”
Pezzetti also described trick-or-treating from the children’s point of view and advocated that Londonderry “maintain the simplicity of celebrating Halloween on Oct. 31.
As to when trick-or-treating will be held next year, Hart declined to make a prediction.
“I can’t say what I’m going to do next year,” Hart said.
He emphasized that the decision is “based on the safety of the children of our community first.”