Wallingford Halloween

Happy Halloween!

For those of you new to the neighborhood, the answer to your question is “Yes, kids do trick-or-treat.” That said, it’s a bit hit-or-miss whether they will trick-or-treat at your house. I live over by the John Stanford School on 4th Ave NE, and we’re lucky if we get a half dozen groups of trick-or-treaters throughout the night. If you go two blocks to our west, though, they’re out in droves.

If you’ve got kids and are wondering where to go, I hear the folks at 42nd and Woodland Park Ave have a War of the Worlds theme going on, complete with martian tripod, and of course the folks at NE 42nd and 1st Ave NE have a spooky display every year. On 4th Ave NE between 42nd and 43rd I noticed a garage that has been tricked out to welcome visitors, as well, but I’d love to hear what else is going on around the neighborhood: where are the haunted houses?

If your child has food allergies of one kind or another, look for a teal pumpkin on a porch, a sign that allergy-friendly treats are on hand. We’ll have super balls to give away, this year as every year, so if you make it to 4065 4th Ave NE, give us a ring.

Murphy’s Pub will have live jazz tonight, 7 – 10 pm, featuring Leif Totusek (guitar) and Phil Sparks (bass). I have no idea whether this will be spooky.

And a number of Wallingford businesses will be welcoming trick-or-treaters from 4 – 7 pm, but I’m afraid I don’t know which ones.

For the past six years or so, my son Zevin and I have been going out just the two of us, doing a “reverse trick-or-treat”. His food sensitivities preclude most Halloween treats, so we just had a ball dragging along a wagon with games loaded up onto it and giving out super balls and other prizes to people we ran across (plus whiskey shots for their adults.) I’m sad to report that this year, he’s opted to go trick-or-treating in the more traditional fashion with a friend (even though he won’t actually be able to eat most of what he collects.) End of an era for me. 🙁

See you out there!