Trick or treating is a Halloween tradition that is over two thousand years old. As of 2020, it is celebrated by over 73.1 million people, according to the United States Census Bureau. Should there be a limit to different aspects of trick or treating?
Some areas in the United States restrict the age of trick or treaters. According to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Code of Ordinances Chapter 46, Section 8 of Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions, “If any person over the age of 14 years shall engage in the activity commonly known as “trick or treat” or any other activity of similar character or nature under any name whatsoever, he or she shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.”
Some cities have even stricter age limits, like Belleville, Illinois. Chapter 130, Section 19 of Belleville’s Code of Ordinances 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.”
Belleville could issue fines of up to $1000 for those violating their age restrictions. That means children 13 and older are subject to these fines, which is unfair.
This is an unfair age limit for trick or treating, and it should be moved to 16 at least. This is crucial for those kids who couldn’t always participate in the holiday.
Speaking from experience in a small town, there isn’t a lot to do in terms of getting out and socializing. Halloween is the one night of the year that kids can get together and celebrate in their costumes, which is better than participating in illegal activities. My family didn’t allow us to trick or treat either, so I never could until I was old enough to leave the house. Having that restriction took away most of the experience from me and made me want to go even more.
Another unruly regulation from the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, Code of Ordinances Chapter 46, Section 8 of Offenses and Miscellaneous Provisions, “If any person shall engage in the activity commonly known as “trick or treat” or any other activity of similar character or nature under any name whatsoever after 8:00 p.m., he or she shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor.”
A time limit can limit what kids can do on Halloween. Those kids that are a little older and can’t get out until later would be limited in how many houses they can go to and make Halloween feel pointless.
Whenever I finally got the chance to go trick or treating, the friends I went with weren’t able to go until later, and most of the houses would already run out of candy. Halloween shouldn’t have a time restriction. If cities were to make Halloween time restrictions, then there should be certain times set for certain age groups, with older kids allowed to stay out later.
For students in college, we have passed our time for trick or treating, but that doesn’t mean we have to sit out on Halloween fun. There are events, games, and celebrations all around ABAC that are suitable for people in college.
Getting together with your friends or family, hanging out, and watching Halloween movies are activities most suitable and universal to anyone. There are plenty of Halloween movies to choose from, and they can be suitable depending on everyone’s perceptions of what is scary.
Tifton and surrounding counties also provide activities such as haunted houses on select dates or annually. This year, ABAC has a week-long game of tag on the week of Halloween called Humans Vs Zombies. The GMA hosted a haunted trail on October 24 and 25.
An annual Halloween event that is very popular around the area is the Pavo Haunted House. It is only $12 on Friday and Saturday nights throughout October.
If you don’t mind a drive, Stone Mountain has a very popular haunted house called Netherworld. Tickets range from $30 to $50 with dates through the ninth of November. The attractions include multiple haunted houses, escape rooms, and even a haunted museum. Even though curfews and age restrictions limit Halloween fun, there are other ways to celebrate. Halloween traditions like being with friends, watching Halloween movies, or going to different haunted trails and houses are exciting ways to celebrate. While we may not be able to control the age of trick or treating, Halloween can still be just as fun.