The 'Unscientific' Results Are In: Leave Halloween Alone

In addition to possibly filling a vacancy on the village board this evening, Oak Lawn trustees will also be voting on another highly important matter:

Trustee Alex Olejniczak thinks the candy grab should end at 7 p.m. instead 8 p.m. on Oct. 31. While he doesn’t want to be “the trustee that took away Halloween” he thinks trick or treating until 8 p.m. “might be excessive.”

I’m sure there is a civics lesson I’m missing here. It appears that the village board, like any legislative body of lawmakers, creates the ordinances under which Oak Lawn residents live. Still, this seems like a matter that should be settled by parents—not the village board.

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Frankly, I think trick or treating in Oak Lawn should be extended to 9 p.m. Let kids have some fun and a chance to fill up a couple of Jewel bags with candy. Just don't egg my car. If parents are worried about childhood obesity, they can always steal some candy out of the bag while their children are asleep.

Olejniczak said he heard from a resident who felt that trick or treating until 8 p.m. was too late. Based on that, he wants the village board to consider ending Halloween an hour sooner.

That's more than the entire number that voted in the Dist. 1 trustee race during the last election. I didn’t create the polling methodology, but apparently it is “unscientific.” How unscientific the poll is, I don’t know, but apparently Patch thinks it’s important enough to mention.

Out of the 645 responses, 174 of you thought trick or treating until 8 p.m. was just fine. Two hundred readers felt that trick or treating should end earlier, and 271 said they’d decide how long their kids stayed out on Halloween, not the government.

Readers also left 34 comments, not counting the one that got deleted:

“BUTT out Village government-----parents are quite capable of taking care of their kids.” Diane Kutnar

“I do not understand why there is a curfew for one of the greatest holidays of all time? If you ask me, it’s a dumb idea!” Dan Smith

"Working parents need time to get home and get their kids dressed to go out and still have time to take them around. It's when it is on a weekend when hours are noon to 8 p.m. that's way too long.” Debbie Stoffregen

“Has everyone forgotten what being a child is all about? Please think back when you were a child! Right now everything is in an uproar in our economy at least let’s try and keep things solid with the children. LET THEM HAVE THEIR FUN.” Squirrel

“I am guessing that you are the neighbor who gave me the candy in the black or orange wrapper (that no one ever ate). I still think I have some of them in my old dresser at my mother’s house.” OL Resident

The matter is on tonight’s village board agenda, which means the public can comment on it, because we all know what happens when residents attempt to comment on subjects that aren’t on the village board agenda. It's not pleasant.

You are welcome to cite the Patch poll—assuming that everyone voted once. To make the poll less “unscientific” take the poll on how many times you took the last poll.