[amandap80]

Is anyone else dealing with this? My town has set ToT night for Saturday the 27th! This is going to be awful for me!
I lose 4 days of display prep time.
I had set the next week off work to finish my display and carve, and now I will have to start gutting the 25th (2 more days off work!), and it will be difficult to keep my babies fresh until the 31st. Grrrr.

The ToTers may get foamies only. and ToT is only for 2 hours! What is wrong with people?!

[Kayo]

that has to be a school board decision! because halloween is wednesday this year. i haven't heard of anything like that where i am but that royally sucks not just for you but for the T or T-ers wont get all the fun. many people on my block dont even carve so if i got my date pushed forward i wouldnt have as many pumpkins to make up for it. now you may miss that last minute must carve good luck!

[SuperSonic]

I've never had this problem at all. Halloween is always on the 31st for me. Sucks for everyone that has to deal with it!

Best of luck!

[monstermash]

Thats odd. In Scotland, well my village at least, nobody sets out a date or time slot for kids to go trick or treating. They just go whenever they like and its usually only on the 31st anyway. That's a bummer if you were all sorted with your holidays and now your plans have to change. Just do whatever you feel you can manage. Whether you carve on the 1st or the 31st, people will come. You could always start putting up your display a few days earlier, like this weekend. Don't let it get you down, just go with the flow, it'll all be great.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

If my town moved the night of trick or treating, I'd move!

ToT doesn't have to end up being a late night for kids. There's no reason it can't be on Halloween. Personally, I'm not a fan of the idea. Amanda, I know what you mean about that cutting down on the time you have to carve pumpkins and set up your display. I'd feel the same plus... fewer days in the month to carve means less business for Zombie Pumpkins too, and that's no good.

Well, I wish you the best with your scheduling. Look at it this way... you can have more than one display and celebration. The night of Halloween always goes by too fast for me anyway. That's why it's fun to have a carving party, a costume party, or whatever else (like days-early ToTers) to spread out the fun even longer.

[pagemaster1993]

It has always been the last Thursday of October for my town. Since my sister was a kid.

[SuperSonic]

I've never had a set length for ToT either. Thats odd. They just always come out around the same time and end around the same time every year. 5-6pm start, and a 8-9pm end time.

[pagemaster1993]

Ours is from 6-8 I believe. I am not completely sure.

[Raven]

Every year that Halloween falls on a week night I hear talk of changing the ToT day. It never works out though. Usually special events will change their date, like "Boo at the Zoo" or an area called "Safety City" where kids can ToT in a special area where they wont allow traffic or razor blades in candy. On week nights most kids come out earlier and everything is usually over earlier. I like when the 31st. falls on a weekend just because it seems more active with more people.

[ghostface]

If Halloween is on a weeknight they always put ToT night on a weekend day. I despise it.

[sloaner]

They don't do that here. I don't think I would mind as long it got more people out for trick or treating. I just moved into a new place and it will be my first Halloween in this new neighborhood. I was told I would get many trick or treaters as there is an elementary school a few blocks away.

[SuperSonic]

They don't do that here. I don't think I would mind as long it got more people out for trick or treating. I just moved into a new place and it will be my first Halloween in this new neighborhood. I was told I would get many trick or treaters as there is an elementary school a few blocks away.

I have one less than a 1km away from my house. So we expect about 150-200 tot'ers every year. It fluxes depending on the day.

Heres my results after the last 5 years

2011 - 145
2010 - 125 (all time low
2009 - 179
2008 - A whopping 210!
2007 - 138 (second lowest, I think it was due to the day of the week for the lows)

Parents out here are rather stingy about times that the kids go out. I plan my attack based on day, and my Pumpkin count, since I've had 30 the last 4 years, I've attracted quite an audience.

I expect this year to be in the ball park range of between 125-175. Since I only give out one per kid (sometimes two or three if they're scared to come up the driveway). I can easily count how many from the start. I ran out of candy in 2008, when it was on a Friday. I had only bought up to 200 that year. And no extras either.

[mesmark]

I don't like the date changes. The controlled fun just doesn't feel fun or special. Parents and communities can get together to watch the kids and how about just stop giving out candy at 8:00? Do we need the city to decide that for us? Not everyone will get the memo but who cares if a couple house are still giving out candy to the junior high kids?

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Last year we had a snow storm right before Halloween, which left some of the city without power. There was talk about ToT night being moved to another day, but I'm not sure if that panned out. Either way, turnout was very low and there was a lot of extra candy.

When a city wants to change the date of ToT, It's tough to get the memo to everyone. And in that situation you are bound to have some trick or treaters showing up on the "new" night and some on October 31st. Seems it would be easier to stick to tradition and always keep it on All Hallows Eve.

As mesmark said, if there are concerns about the safety of the kids, there are ways to manage the timing and supervision, without having to completely change the day.

[pagemaster1993]

Due to cold weather where I was not many people showed up at my place, of course we just moved here and I guess not many people would come down my street. This is also due to the fact that the only person on my block giving out candy was me.