Imagine Halloween night: the moon is full; there’s a chill in the air; you dress in your best costume and go into the street with your friends to see who can get the most candy.  You go door-to-door (masquerading among both monsters and pop culture characters), your plastic pumpkin pail getting heavier, till the night ends and you go back home.

But perhaps that’s an overly romanticized view.  Perhaps that’s what Hollywood has told us Halloween looks like.  In recent years, debates have been raised over the ethics of Halloween (some label it demonic) and the safety of dressing in costume and taking food from strangers (with people remembering 2016’s clown scares and the COVID-19 Pandemic).  Community events also attract protective parents — such as the trunk-or-treating trend, which Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) hosts.  At the OLMC trunk-or-treat, costumes are encouraged and there will be vendors with treats for families, guests, and students.  So, perhaps such community events draw potential trick-or-treaters.

66.3% of Herrin High students interviewed believe there are fewer trick-or-treaters in recent times.  But that doesn’t mean the holiday is dying.  95.8% of interviewees said they celebrate Halloween.  

But of that group, only 21.5% still trick-or-treats.  The others are split into different ways of celebrating the night, such as activities like haunted houses or pumpkin patches, or Halloween parties.

But, is it appropriate for high schoolers to go trick-or-treating?  67.5% of interviewees believe there shouldn’t be an age cut-off for those who can trick-or-treat, such as seen in Belleville, Illinois.  There, an ordinance was passed that forbade those over 12 from trick-or-treating, the worst possible punishment being a fine of up to $1,000.  The justification given for the 2008 ordinance was “to help ensure the safety of residents and Trick-or-Treaters.”

Bellville’s ordinance states: “It shall be unlawful for any person over 12 years of age to appear in or upon any of the streets, highways, alleys, public parks or other places of the city in any mask or disguise whereby the identity of such person is concealed, without permission of the Mayor or Chief of Police on days other than Halloween.”  However, there is no restriction on “special needs students” when they are accompanied by a “responsible person.”

In an interview with Slate, Mayor Mark Eckert (who oversaw the passing of this ordinance), further justified his decision.  “We had a few situations in those years where seniors had called the police because they felt very threatened by the large number of kids who were on their front porch and getting very aggressive in some cases. They seemed like they felt like they were going to force their way into their home.”  

But he followed this by saying: “I can’t say we had any particular bad situations that prompted me to talk to the aldermen at that time and move this ordinance forward.”

An anonymous interviewee says: “If us teenagers want to go trick or treating with our family or friends instead of partying and doing illegal stuff, why won’t you let us? We can be doing a bunch of bad stuff, but we want to celebrate a holiday and get candy.  Is there anything wrong with that?”

“There is no need [for an age cut-off].  I think it will just happen and people will stop trick or treating when they become a certain age,” says another.

However, there is a consensus that a universal age limit exists, even if not in law.  Many raise a taboo of adults trick-or-treating, which they believe is improper.  For instance, many students believed that grown adults (beyond teenage years) should not trick-or-treat,  “because it would be weird for grown people to show up at your door dressed up asking for candy when it should be for children,” a Herrinite explains.

But one student counters: “I think that’s the main part about Halloween, and everyone should be able to enjoy it. What’s bad about adults choosing to relive their childhood one day out of every year?” 

Everything above leads to the fact that a general trend of declining trick-or-treaters has been reported by these HHS interviewees.

And where are these missing trick-or-treaters going?  As Halloween emerged as a pop culture holiday, more and more community gatherings were organized and executed.  Are they going out into their community, or are they just staying home?  While streets are open for trick-or-treaters, and gatherings are taking place, is it possible that potential trick-or-treaters and partygoers are preferring to stay at home, perhaps watching a Halloween movie and eating bought candy?  This could be, in an era where children often prefer to stay inside, on the internet.

“It’s harder to do trick-or-treating and all this stuff that isn’t online,” Maddie Ahne (12) comments.  

“Many kids just have their parents buy them candy while they play on devices.  They don’t want to get out and walk for the candy,” an anonymous interviewee agrees.

Ahne gives an alternative reason: “It [a community event] makes some people feel safer because some people started getting scared about Halloween because of threats of razor blades or drugs in candy.”

Others placed blame on the COVID-19 Pandemic.  “Ever since 2020 and COVID, people haven’t been trick-or-treating as much. Which I understand: why would you want to trick or treat when a deadly virus is going around? But even in 2023, people didn’t trick or treat, even though COVID was (mostly) eradicated,” one student responds. 

One responder, however, seemed to believe there to be more trick-or-treaters.  “People get older and realize that it’s important for the kids.  You just want them to have it because that’s what the older kids did for everyone and that’s how it’s always been.  You save what’s real to them because it’s important.  It’s important for them and their imaginations.”

While trick-or-treating may be on the decline, several community events take place in Herrin.  Even though the city has an ordinance that forbids trick-or-treating past eight o’clock, Herrin maintains many opportunities for the community to gather and celebrate Halloween in different ways.

For instance, Herrin will see its Pumpkins in the Park event on Oct. 29, from two o’clock to five o’clock.  It is framed as something of a festival, with food and a costume contest in the scenery of Herrin Park.  This festival is, however, a much different affair than we saw in the last few years with the Trail of Treats event.  

But the city government does not host.  “Events in the community originate and are conducted by various volunteer, commercial, or civic groups and organizations.  The City in some instances helps to facilitate events upon request… when appropriate, the City provides public safety and public works personnel with the primary role being public safety,” explains Steve Frattini, Mayor of Herrin. 

“Due to the City’s safety concerns, with children both supervised and unsupervised darting across Highway 148 (Park Avenue) and the event typically taking place during peak rush hour traffic, the City encouraged the private business sector and community organizations to create an alternative activity,” says Mayor Frattini on why Herrin moved away from the Trail of Treats event.

This transition has not been a loss, though.  Mayor Frattini continues: “It [Pumpkins in the Park] has grown into a tremendous event to include entertainment and greater business and civic involvement.  Most importantly, it is conducted in a safe environment with adult oversight.”

Even closer to home, Herrin High Tiger Paws hosts a Halloween party, where the Tiger Paws children dress in their Halloween costumes and walk through the school to trick-or-treat and meet some high schoolers.

“I like getting to watch the kids perform and seeing their costumes, and seeing them be happy trick or treating,” says Branson Hill (12). 

Halloween has changed since current high schoolers were as young as the Tiger Paws kids.  

One student reflects on the changing attitude of dressing in costume: “I still love being able to dress up, but growing up comes with scars of embarrassment. I just miss when I could dress up and not be embarrassed to be in front of people my age.”

Another says: “I miss being a kid and going with my family.  I love that I’m older and I go with friends, but sometimes you just wanna go with your family.”

An anonymous student believes: “They’re good memories to look back upon. It’s always and will be funny if somebody’s dressed up in a funny costume or scary in a really good costume. I think it’s a fun holiday that kids should get to experience like kids.”

Even though Halloween celebrations hardly resemble what high schoolers remember from when they were seven, running with their friends and family, there is no fear that the holiday is dying.  With community events, parties, and activities like pumpkin patches or apple orchards, old traditions are simply evolving to fit a new era with both new threats and new chances.