By Molly Newhard
I love Halloween. It is the one holiday whose traditions I hold sacred. You can keep your Christmas presents and your fancy Valentine’s Day Dinner! Give me a bloody slasher film and haunted attractions.
As a kid, trick or treating was something I planned for weeks. My costume had to fit the unpredictable Colorado weather, and the bag had to be big enough to carry all my candy. When we returned home my brother and I would dump out our haul and trade until we each had the preferred selection of candy.
I like chocolate, and he loved the sour stuff. Times have changed though. Parents want to make sure their kids are safe whilst trick or treating. Downtown Eugene will be hosting a trick or treat street this Saturday from 12 pm – 4 pm. Participating businesses will have candy available.
As an adult Halloween is a lifestyle. The whole month of October is dedicated to finding the best horror movies and haunted houses. Our corner of Oregon has some decent haunted houses.
Milburn’s Haunted Manor in Hubbard Oregon features two unique haunts. They are open Thursday through Sunday every weekend in October. Strangest Things Haunted Farm is out on Sprague Road in Eugene and is open Thursday through Saturday throughout October.
Being able to attend haunted houses this year was a real treat for me. I feel like Halloween isn’t complete unless I am running screaming from a masked chainsaw wielding maniac.
I like to round out the month by dressing up and partying at whatever concert I can find. This year the Motet is playing at the McDonald Theater on Sunday night. This is somewhat of a nostalgic experience for me. When I was in my early 20s The Motet was the band to see on Halloween night. The Big Dirty also has several shows this weekend, starting with Random Rab on Friday, High Step Society on Saturday, and an electronic bass show featuring ONHELL on Sunday. If you’re interested in a funky jam show, Twiddle will be at Sessions on Thursday night.
Whatever your Halloween thrills are, remember to adhere to CDC guidelines. Mask up, and get vaccinated if you can. Frights and haunts can be fun but there is nothing fun about turning those thrills into a pandemic nightmare.
By Chandlor Henderson
As a younger person I loved Halloween. I remember going out trick-or-treating with my lovely mother and older brother. We got along decently at that stage in our lives, oftentimes sharing our bounties of sugar.
I remember the first time I went out trick-or-treating alone. I was maybe 10 years old, and I went much farther than I should have. That year in particular I remember filling up one of the “big pillow cases” — which I now know are king size — with candy. Said candy lasted all the way until the next Halloween.
In my 20s, I did as all young adults do: dressed in something silly and hit the town. My most memorable year is the one I got to spend with my sister who passed away from cancer a few years later. We made our costumes to reflect the changing times. I made myself a cardboard TV set that displayed my face. My sister Venus was the all seeing eye.
But now, in my 30s, I just want to sleep. I’m finding myself having a hard time getting excited about Halloween. I don’t have kids and I don’t like the idea of strangers knocking on my door. I’m not comfortable with allowing my neighbors to have that level of familiarity. And that’s sad.
One positive thing amongst the sadness and distrust is that this year my wife is getting excited about Halloween. Through the changing face of my family, the excitement of holidays that was lost to me is being reignited. I still don’t want to give out candy, but that doesn’t mean I won’t buy it with the expectation of handing it out to little frogs or lions or whatever costumes small children are wearing these days.
And that’s what it’s about anyway, right? Trick-or-treat candy! My begrudging feelings about Halloween don’t mean I shouldn’t share candy with the kiddos. They’ve done nothing wrong to me, and it’s not fair to take out my lack of trust in our divided society on them. Right? We can let them be kids for a few more years.
So whatever you are doing, whether it’s giving away candy, hanging out with friends, or watching scary movies, have fun. Do it with purpose. Most important, be safe, wear a mask, and wash your hands.
Happy Halloween folks.
