Warm And Safe Kids Trade Halloween Mall-Walking For Door-Knocking

It was a Halloween night where Mikaela Caine just needed to know.

The 14-month-old dressed as a witch needed to know who that fellow trick-or-treater in the cow costume was. Off came the hood.

She needed to know how cute she looked. So making new friends by marching right up to them in her pointy hat helped.

She also needed to know how far mom and dad would chase her around the Spokane Valley Mall.

“Everywhere,” said her mom and fellow “Witch With An Attitude” Adele Caine.

The smiling Caine family, exhausted Friday from hours of fun at the Valley Mall’s first Mall-O-Ween, were by no stretch the only fun-seekers.

Anyone sitting at home waiting for a few fright night ghouls to stop by probably didn’t see many. About 8,000 children and parents partied at the mall on Friday, mall officials said.

Across town, about 3,000 kids and parents visited NorthTown for its annual trick-or-treat activities.

Where else would they go but to a mall? said kids collecting goodies and playing games.

“Everybody on our block goes to the mall,” said 9-year-old Michael Fisch, toting his car racing gear and bag stuffed with candy. “We get lots more candy.”

Michael’s brother Dracula, better known as AJ, thought the candy was cool. But he really was just hoping that his sticky green hair would stay that way until school on Monday.

His mother doubted it.

But Kelly Fisch did agree with other parents who decided to trade door-knocking for walking the mall this Halloween.

“It’s hard to trust the kind faces out there,” she said while eyeing her sons as they tried to scoot off. “These days the kind faces can hurt them, too.”

Elsewhere inside the mall, Wendy and Jim Whitley touched up their children’s costumes and makeup while others fished at Brighton Court Pond and smacked a puck or two at the Inland Empire Amateur Hockey Association booth.

Three-year-old Cat in the Hat Bradley and 13-month-old scarecrow Emilee didn’t have much to say as they wandered furiously.

But one thing was for sure: “They’re raring to go,” Wendy Whitley said.

As the evening wound down, three of the 101 Dalmatians milled about the crowd in search of Smarties and Snickers.

Kayla Tucker, 3, and her 12-week-old brother scampered with 2-year-old cousin Travis Seek in their doggy duds.

“They’re just awestruck,” said their father Chris Tucker.

Knowing her kids were warm and safe was enough for Connie Tucker. But knowing they were having so much fun meant the most.

“They don’t even care about eating the candy yet,” she said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 color photos