No!!!

My kids have already forgotten about it.....and we've eaten all the candy we were going to give out.

Cancel it. I'm over it and so is my 5 year old. We STILL don't have power, so getting candy is the least of my concerns right now!

We've moved on & won't be participating. It's a celebration about candy not a religious or memorial holiday!

No, just let it go

If we do have it....we definitely have to change the hours! Possibly in the afternoon ...maybe 1:00 - 5:00

How about picking a safe, central place with a big parking lot...residents can park and do a "Trunk and Treat". Much safer and the kids get to all see each other in costume.

Cancel it. Doesn't make sense to change the hours to the afternoon. People work.

Cancel it!

Cancel it and let's focus on Thanksgiving instead as we have much to be thankful for!

Has everyone lost their mind..? There are still poles and trees across long valley roads...dangling from wires...it is unsafe to drive around this town...!!! Why not just parade our children under these dangerous spots...lets be real...day 11 without power....we should be calling in the National Guard....not trick or treating...!!!

Does the township expect power to be restored by Saturday? Do they know something we all don't?According to JCPL it isn't coming back to at least Sunday. If so, it will still be unsafe on Saturday. Either do a trick or trunk instead on Sat. or just cancel it. We all have bigger worries than worrying about it

Is it even worth it at this time? It's unfortunate for the kids, but it's time to move on.

part of me agrees but part of me feels bad for my 3 year old who is still waiting for Halloween to come. a trunk or treat in a central location seems like a safe and great compromise

Seriously,,,,,,,,really had to even ask? lol

Cancel the whole thing. It's on life support, and we should just pull the plug.

I agree with Maria. Life goes on, even at a time of adversity. There is so much negative out there. If the roads aren't safe for walking cancel the door to door. When I worked with the Municipal Alliance several years ago we had Halloween parties at the teen center and the firehouse. What's wrong with a trunk or treat? Call it a masquerade party. If you don't want to participate then don't but don't deny the pleasure to those who want to escape from our present reality. Is there a bah-humbug for Halloween? Let's teach the kids that we can't be beaten by JCP & L and Sandy and come together as a community, stop the bitching and moaning for a couple of hours and do something together for the kids. Seeing the joy on a a child's face is good medicine. If anyone else feels the same and wants to talk about what we can do email me tomfool75@gmail.com. Btw, I also have no power, no internet, my cell service is terrible I haven't had a shower in days, my children are grown and I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself! Yes this sucks, do we give up on living our normal lives?

I advocate that Halloween being cancelled permanently! (LOL) - Seriously, cancel it for this year. Roads are not safe, neighborhoods are still without power. Can't imagine that any parent would let their children out in these types of circumstances.

The weather is supposed to be 53 on Sat. I think we should do an hour long Trunk or Treat event, in a parking lot, early in the afternoon. I think it would be a wonderful release for our kids who have been stuck indoors. Janna, I do think it should be a decision made by the town. And if everyone is now out of candy, I don't think we should buy more. The kids could just run around in costume. I know mine would be happy just to be outside with other kids....

If this site is so "lame" then get off it.

What happened to the organizations in town that used to do these sorts of events? I have been out of the loop since my kids have grown. They took care of things like this with the permission and help of the town, especially the DPW. In our present situation the town has it's hands full dealing with our safety. They don't have the people to take on another project. They either say Halloween is on or off but I don't think they are in a position to do more than that. It falls to the community, as in the people who live here who want to do something. If some people don't care, then stay home. As for candy, we used to get donations. What about M&M Mars what happened to all the candy left on the shelves at the grocery stores? It gets dark early so even Sunday at 5 could work if a little more time is needed. I think it would be good for the kids to learn we don't need to be 'powerless' that 'life goes on' and 'this too shall pass'. And it might be fun for the grown-ups too, to get out and see other people. If no one is interested I'll let it drop and go read another book,  I'll sure my grandchildren get to dress up and have fun. But I'm happy to help get something together if anyone wants to help me but time is running out on making a decision

Just wanted to say 'thank you' to Jason for the wonderful job he is doing keeping us informed on all issues in Washington Township. Mayor Short commented on WRNJ this morning that a decision would be made tonight about Halloween. It is a major safety issue for the children of this township. There are still many roads closed, wires down, and a lot of homes still without power. Thank you again, Jason and the staff of the Patch.

Thanks so much for the kind words and ongoing (civil) conversation, everyone!

@If you don't like it, stay home. - I appreciate your comment and we love that freedom of speech is alive and well in our community (the 1st Amendment is probably our favorite one!). That being said, since Halloween was postponed the first time around, then again, comments both here and on the Long Valley Patch Facebook page have mentioned a lot about what should be done with trick-or-treating hours in the township. It's clearly an issue for many residents, so we felt it necessary to centralize the conversation and see what residents were thinking, just 48 hours away from the festivities. I hope that answers some of the questions you asked.

Thanks again, everyone, for your comments and participation.

Trunk or Treat is a great Idea, But remember that None of the kids big or small have been able to trick or treat at all. If the town decided to do something like that it is going to be totally CRAZY. We live in an area where all wires are under ground. Maybe they should designate areas where you can go trick or treating in the town. And when people are out of candy they just shut off their light.

Maria. That sounds like a reasonable option. And something the town could endorse. It sounds like the majority of people are over it so chances are the turn out would be managable. guess we'll hear when the town makes their decision.
And thank you Jason for all you have done to keep us informed, especially at a time when information is so hard to get.

Lets do it !! I have lots of frozen candy

I think the "trunk-or-treat" idea is not a bad one. That way those that would like to participate can, and those who do not want to participate do not have to. I can understand both sides of the argument, however this seems to work for both. There is still many dangerous areas for children to be walking about in town (wires down etc.) my house alone has a giant tree occluding our driveway, garage, and almost entrance to get to our front door. I would not want to put any child in danger. Personally, I am past it at this point (and I do have a child that I of course wanted to see trick-or-treat) however, I understand the many other challenges we are facing now. I would agree, perhaps a "trunk-or treat" in a church parking lot or something would allow those who want to participate to do so, and those who do not want to, to not.

Cancel it!

Just have to say a big thanks to Jason-for those of you who know who I am, know that I am very bias when it comes to Jason--He has done a terrific job for the past 10 days considering that HE and His Family did not have power either-just like the rest of you..He worked hard and long from where ever he and his family were able to stay...Terrific job!!! What you have done trying to keep your family safe and sound AND keeping Long Valley/Hackettstown up to date on all that is happening, shows what a dedicated and caring resident on Long Valley you are.. Keep up the good work !!! And folks please remember he doesn't make the news-he just reports it!!!

Someone else is using the same name I have been using, and would just like to say I think Halloween should occur. Having a child stuck in the house with nothing to do for 2 weeks is quite frustrating. They should be entitled to some form of normalacy, and taking that away isn't right. There are a number of areas safe and with power they can go to.

We've gone to beyond RIDICULOUS now. It's OVER!

And, of course, Parker Acres will be bombarded.

Hearing that Trick or Treating was moved to Saturday afternoon is very disappointing to hear. The Raiders program has been planning a trip to go to the Rutgers game on Saturday afternoon for months - so this means that the kids who have already committed to this and are looking forward to the game, are going to miss out on Trick or Treating. While I do realize the safety of the children is top priority,I wish there was better communication in this town and maybe something could have been discussed and there could have been some sort of solution.

PD73 - The topic of THIS forum is "Should WT have Halloween?" I gave my opinion about this topic which I am very much entitled to. It's unfortunate your reply has to be very hostile. That was not the intent to make anyone upset. Of course Halloween is not a priority at this time. However, the LACK of communication in our town is the problem and that is the point I was trying to make. Please do not tell me that I need to learn a life lesson. Maybe you need to learn how to respect others opinions.

I love the holiday for what it is. Kids love it. I say keep it.

Maybe the "life lesson" should be one in civility, especially in times of strife.

I do agree with "Old Turnpike Road" about the notifications from the town. A solution could be to expand the Honeywell system to include messages which impact the entire town, and to include residents without children on the system.

As stressful as this whole situation is for adults, and YES, it is extremely stressful, please remember it is also stressful to the kids. Kids should be kids - I don't mean spoiled, overindulged kids, but fun loving and reasonably stress free. Halloween is one of the times they are able to do just that - have FUN! Yes, there are much larger issues looming in life, but there always will be, whether it be loss of power or something else entirely. Adults, you may be stressed, but don't let it affect the kids. They aren't able to control this issue. Why NOT let them have some lighthearted fun? Is it really hurting anyone? Is it preventing your power from being restored?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu http://www.coachoutletyo.com of http://www.coachoutletdt.net Israel, who had been http://www.coachoutletonlinelsa.com threatening to start another ground invasion if http://www.coachoutletstoreonlinert.com the Gaza rockets did not stop, said in a statement http://www.coachoutletos.org that he was satisfied, for the moment, with the outcome. But http://www.coachfactoryoutletbo.net he left open the possibility of more military http://www.coachoutletod.com action.
he statement issued by his office said Mr. Netanyahu http://www.coachfactoryonlinesu.net had spoken with President Obama and “responded positively http://www.hermesbeltsoutletsc.com to his recommendation to http://www.coachfactoryonlineen.com give a chance to the Egyptian proposal for a cease-fire and to allow an opportunity to stabilize the situation and http://www.coachfactoryoutletonlineau.com to calm it down b http://www.coachoutletuso.net efore there is a need to use http://www.coachfactoryonlinefn.net much greater f http://www.coachbagsoutletel.com orce.”