Should Halloween Be Canceled This Year?

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 23 -- The store shelves in Little Rock, Ark., are full of costumes and candy, but the streets could be empty when Halloween comes around. Spooked by a potential flood of jittery calls, the state has put a hold on Halloween.

Arkansas parents are being advised to keep their young ones inside and avoid trick-or-treating door to door because of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and recent anthrax scares around the nation.

"We simply don't have the law enforcement resources in this state, which is already extremely taxed, to look at every sack of candy where a Pixie Stick has opened and spilled powder and to test that to see if in fact it may be anthrax, which it won't be," said Gov. Mike Huckabee.

In Wilkinsburg, Pa., Mayor Wilbert Young also canceled door-to-door trick-or-treating. Instead there will be three official, indoor Halloween parties — another example of the fears that are apparent around the country.

"I don't want to get like hurt or anything on Halloween," said student Lauren Licata.

There were safety concerns even before Sept. 11. In recent years, malls around the country have handed out free Halloween goodies to trick-or-treaters. That provided a safety zone for young children, while scaring up business on an otherwise slow night. But this year, hundreds of malls have called off the practice.

San Antonio, Texas, is world-famous for its Day of the Dead celebration, which starts in late October and runs into early November. Normally, the festivities feature Latino music and elaborate skeleton costumes. But this year, many of the events have been scaled back or called off.

Is It All Panic?

At a time when America is struggling with so many real-life horrors, finding the appropriate way to celebrate a holiday that features ghouls and goblins presents a real challenge.

"We have to lead our lives and not panic," said Rick Shewring of the Grandview Police Department outside Columbus, Ohio. "That's what the terrorists are trying to accomplish. They're trying to get us to panic and I don't think we should do that."