Trick Or Treat, Piece Of Mind

Oct. 31. No amount of rain or wind would keep us from the annual Halloween trek through the neighborhood. Clutching bags of sugary loot, we cats, ghosts, pirates and princesses stopped frequently to survey our goods and barter: Your Black Cow for my Milk Duds.

Parents rarely escorted us, but we felt safe. The only abductions we talked about were alien abductions (and how much fun that would be!). It never got too gory. There was the obligatory bowl of spaghetti and peeled grapes: “It’s guts and eyeballs, for real!” It was fairly tame stuff. It was great.

Today, things are different. Yet, for those nostalgics among us, there are remnants of the good old days to savor.

Start with must-have seasonal decorations. An outing to Green Bluff, north of Spokane, promises perfect props: ‘U-pick” apples, pumpkins, corn stalks, hay bales or squash. Set up on porches or windows or fashion a scarecrow from old Levis, a flannel shirt and a pumpkin. In place of a traditional jack-o-lantern, hang dried pumpkin slices with raffia bows. Fill hollowed out pumpkins with bunches of chrysanthemums.

Baking is always festive, especially with youngsters. Popcorn balls, caramel apples and decorated sugar cookies are a good bet. More advanced bakers can try a Halloween gingerbread house. Candy corn, M&Ms and candied pumpkins make great coverings.

An excellent resource, available at Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main, is “My Very Own Halloween: A Book of Cooking and Crafts” by Robin West ($9.95, Carolrhoda Books, Inc.) Caterpillar Sandwiches, Witches Hair Slaw and Gooey Apple Treats are just a sampling of West’s creative cookery.

Adventuresome folks may host a home-grown bash. Last year, Shelley Fuller’s South Spokane neighborhood threw a block party. Several houses offered activities, from pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin to fortune telling. One house was the designated “treat” house. “It was great for promoting community,” Fuller said.

Long on enthusiasm but short on time? Take advantage of several community events. Most area malls offer trick-or-treating. Franklin Park Mall hosts its fourth annual Monster Mash Oct. 31, 4 to 8 p.m. Festivities include games, pictures, a scavenger hunt and haunted house for children 12 and younger.

Spokane Valley Mall’s “Mall O’Ween” for kids 12 and younger runs Oct. 31, 4 to 7 p.m. Participants can drop off canned goods in one of the mall’s Kids Helping Kids barrels, benefitting the Spokane Food Bank.

Merchants at Post Falls Factory Outlet and Stores will hand out candy on Halloween, 5 to 7 p.m. A free, heated trolley will shuttle visitors between centers. Costumed volunteers will also pass out tokens to Joy Ride, an arcade-like kids’ shop, and a spooky space awaits children 10 and older, near O’Keeley’s Family Restaurant, a newcomer to the Factory Stores.

For something a little different, Spokane Parks and Rec is sponsoring a pool party on Halloween, 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Shadle Park High School’s pool, 4327 N. Ash. For just 50 cents, children 15 and younger can enjoy supervised swimming, music and games. Adults swim for $1.50.

The Spokane Youth Sports Association, 3014 E. 55th, hosts its annual Halloween Carnival Oct. 31, 6 to 9 p.m. Kids 13 and younger can enter a costume contest, play games and win prizes. Cost is $5. Food and drinks are extra.

Oct. 25, noon to 2 p.m., the Northeast Youth Center is holding a Penny Carnival and Pumpkin Carving Contest. Kids bring already decorated pumpkins. The Center, N. 4001 Cook, will also offer an after-school Halloween party Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., for children in grades one through four.

Oct. 28, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., 4 to 6-year-olds can create masks with Spokane Arts School. The free event is held at NorthTown Mall, in the court area near the Division Street entrance.

Of course, there are haunted houses, too. Some are not recommended for young children. KZZU’s Haunted House was voted the second scariest haunted house in America in USA Today, according to radio station promotional staff. It’s located at Fourth and Post Street in Post Falls and runs Oct. 22-31; hours are 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Cost is $4.