ChicTrib

Frightful reality casts a pall over Halloween

By Lynette Kalsnes and Darlene Gavron Stevens, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporters John Keilman and Bonnie Miller Rubin contributed to this report Published October 22, 2001

Tina Weltch will take her 6-year-old Spider-Man and her 3-year-old butterfly trick-or-treating on Halloween. But when they get home, she plans to take the candy and swap it for some she bought herself.

"It's going in the extreme, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially with these little ones," said Weltch of Crystal Lake, who is worried about tampering. Kids who come to her house will get friendship bracelets, not candy.

After the attacks of Sept. 11, many felt Halloween was going to be tuned down a notch or two, its frightful trappings moderated. But now that fears have risen over anthrax, many are going even further, finding ways to better police trick-or-treating or forgo it all altogether, according to a sampling of parents, community leaders and police.

Along with a flashlight, some are advocating a safety device parents didn't have when they were children: A cell phone.

Anthrax fears and the national call for heightened awareness have community leaders taking an long look at their annual safety warnings about Halloween. Some are simply turning up the volume on old rules--don't trick-or-treat alone, have a parent look through the candy before it's eaten, stick to familiar homes. Others are urging restrictions on what the children wear: No terrorist-style costumes or toy weapons.

Officials in Hobart, Ind., have taken an even harder line, calling for parents not to let kids go door-to-door at all Oct. 31. Instead, the city plans to hold a 6 p.m. parade followed by a celebration at Lakefront Park.

In Arkansas, Gov. Mike Huckabee also has discouraged parents from letting kids go trick-or-treating. Huckabee said he wasn't worried so much about anthrax as he was about jittery parents flooding authorities with calls about suspicious candy.

West Dundee's Spring Hill Mall canceled trick-or-treating and other festivities after managers decided it would be inappropriate so soon after the terrorist attacks.

"We feel it's a time for people to spend time with their families and maybe just reflect on things," said marketing manager Becky Zoerner.

Many notice an absence of buildup to Oct. 31. Usually by this time of year, Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington would have distributed thousands of glow-in-the-dark safety strips that kids can wear for trick-or-treating.

"So far we haven't had one request from a community group," said hospital spokeswoman Heather Gates.

Whether this means children and parents are staying home or just putting off Halloween decisions, Gates said her own holiday plans have changed. She's throwing a party for her family, but she won't take her nieces and nephews trick-or-treating in her Fox River Grove subdivision as she did last year.

In Naperville, calls from parents asking whether Halloween would be canceled prompted the Police Department to encourage parents to accompany trick-or-treaters of all ages.

"Sure, your 6th grader is going to say, `You're kidding,' but you can follow them from afar, take the dog out on the leash and walk behind at a distance," said Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith.

If older kids insist on going alone, give them a cell phone and be available if they call, she said.

Brantner Smith also has heard concerns about a widely circulated e-mail, in which a girlfriend of an alleged terrorist is warned to stay away from shopping malls Oct. 31.

"I tell them the FBI has investigated it, and that it's an e-mail hoax," she said.

Parents must determine how realistic their fears are and determine what safety precautions to take, said Pat Camden, Chicago Police Department spokesman.

"There's been no bona fide cases of anthrax in Illinois," he said. "There is no reason at this point, or no valid evidence, that this is taking place, but fear is something I can't quantify for a parent."

For years, police also have encouraged children to attend parties organized by the schools, Park District and various groups instead of going door to door, Camden said

In Chicago, Officer Ernest Gomez recommends throwing away candy from unknown homes, and bringing candy along so kids have something to munch on until parents can inspect their sweets.

"However you alter the definition of Halloween is cool, as long as you do it with the right mind-set," Gomez said. "Don't alter it because you're scared. Alter it because you want to be extra-safe."

Sue Beaumont, a Park Ridge alderman, said the city-sponsored youth group decided after Sept. 11 to change its Halloween plans. Instead of trick-or-treating for canned goods, the group will hold an Oct. 30 fundraising concert for victims of the attack.

"We can give the kids some fun and make them feel good about it, too," she said.

In Chicago, Griselda Alejo plans to attend a Halloween party with her extended family. If she takes her two toddler girls trick-or-treating at all, she said, she will venture only a block away to the homes of those she knows in West Town.

"Every year, you always worry about somebody tampering with candy," Alejo said. "This year, with everything going on, you just worry a little more."

In Schaumburg, amid the grinning skulls of the Spirit Halloween Superstore, manager Mach Dinh has noticed parents steering children toward costumes such as police officers, firefighters, knights and soldiers. "The kids have not changed," he said. "They still want the horror. I think the parents are more sensitive."

He added that adults have sought patriotic gear for themselves as well: Uncle Sam masks, Statue of Liberty costumes, Abraham Lincoln garb.

Burbank Mayor Harry Klein said he doesn't want to add more rules.

"The press has done enough to raise awareness about anthrax," he said. "I don't want the terrorists to take away the joy of Halloween."

Even eternal Halloween lovers like Rochelle Santopoalo, founder and president of Evanston-based Global Halloween Alliance, expect the garb to reflect the nation's somber mood.

Halloween has survived tough times, she said, citing a point during World War II when children tried to help by collecting scrap metal instead of treats.

"This year we don't need it to be gory or scary," said Santopoalo, who started the 1,000-member group four years ago to promote "a positive view" of the holiday. "We need it to be an escape from our lives."

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001