Should Halloween Be Canceled This Year?

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 23, 2001 -- 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."

But panic has already hit some cities, with emergency crews run ragged by anthrax hoaxes and false alarms. With anxieties running high, Columbus considered canceling its annual Halloween festival, called Beggar's Night, but ultimately decided that would send the wrong message.

"There is the ridiculous dichotomy between telling people to stay calm and then canceling Halloween. We have to adopt to this new normal [attitude]and go on with our lives but be ever-conscious of safety and security concerns," said Barb Seckler, the assistant safety director for the Columbus Department of Public Safety.

Beef Up Security Instead

Instead, the city will beef up security, temporarily hiring back retired-police officers. And Children's Hospital in Columbus will X-ray candy for worried parents, free of charge.

"I don't think we should stop Halloween. I think everyone should be aware of what's going on and be a little cautious," said student Megan Shubitowski.

That caution extends to costumes as well. Ghoulish costumes that feature bloods, guts and gore are slow movers. Children, in particular, are choosing more wholesome costumes. At the Lillian Vernon mail order operation, sales for police and fire uniforms have increased by as much as 50 percent. Sales for emergency medical technician costumes have increased by 300 percent, according to sales director David Hochberg.

With costumes, decorations, greeting cards, and of course, candy, Halloween has traditionally been a huge spending day for stores — second only behind Christmas — with $6.9 billion in sales. But with this new era of extreme caution, Halloween will be a little less spooky — and for retailers, a lot less profitable.