…from getting their CANDY.
For some strange reason, the weather prediction of a 100% chance of rain and high winds up to 50mpg during trick-or-treat didn’t persuade the city to move the annual candy grab back a day or two, like most sensible counties around us did.
Instead, they changed the trick-or-treat time from 6:00-8:00pm to 5:30-7:00pm. Because moving it up half an hour when the rain was scheduled to arrive around 4pm would make ALL the difference.
Our trick-or-treat was further hindered by school bus delays. (Again.) It would seem one overturned semi-truck on a highway that their bus doesn’t even travel on is enough to stop all traffic in the city. Columbus has no concept of how to drive in the rain.
Around 5pm, another parent tweeted me that he had received a robocall that all buses were running an hour or more late due to the single accident in the city. I was thankful to know where the kids were, but wondering why we hadn’t received the same robocall? I contemplated calling Transportation, to be That Parent again, but knew it would likely be pointless since there was probably no one there.
At 5:30, right when trick-or-treat was starting, the bus pulled up. And at the same time, the phone rang with the robocall regarding the bus delays. Too late.
We ushered the kids in quickly, sat them down for a few bites of dinner before letting them skip the rest and hurry into their costumes. Instead of two hours of trick-or-treat, they only had one and a half hours now, and they were anxious that they’d miss out.
Holding their pumpkin buckets for the loot and umbrellas to fight off the wind and rain, they ventured forth into the storm in search of free candy.
At first, Mira nearly blew away with her umbrella as the wind caught it before we left the driveway. We didn’t make it a block before she handed me her umbrella and said she’d rather get wet than keep dealing with her unruly windcatcher.
Cordy held her umbrella high, enjoying the struggle against the wind as she believed she had the super powers to use the umbrella to fight off the weather.
They didn’t make it as far as they usually do before the damp penetrated their costumes and they were weary from trying to remain upright when the wind pushed them every which way.
But they still had buckets full of candy, so the night was declared a success.
And because we’re days away from election day, I’ll also ask locals who are Columbus City Schools district residents to go check out the site I’m helping out with:
Nice summary of Thursday. I don't have children but I endured trick or treating just the same. I gave out candy in costume to nearly 30 children. That is a lot for my neighborhood, the most in 3 years since my return to my childhood home.
Because the kids were such determined troopers, I stayed on the porch instead of in the nice dry hallway. One less obstacle between them and there well deserved reward.
Baring the transportation issues, I am glad your girls had a productive evening. Contact me off-line to discuss transportation.
Wow, I’ve never heard of set times for trick or treating! Around here you just go..usually the kids start showing up when it starts getting dark. I got home at 4:30 and my neighbors were just heading out to start…at 9:30 I had to get something from my car and there were still roving gangs of trick or treaters on the street…