Start of the Perfect Season (Silverton Style)
October 26, 2012
The Lombardi Factor (Short Story) {Part I}
November 8, 2012
This essay went in the local newspaper yesterday. Just to fill you folks in on all the trick-or-treat action from two nights ago(i.e. see today’s essay); a very successful undertaking and what little candy I did have left when I went to a Halloween party was placed on the landing leading up the stairs to the hotel I manage. With a note strategically positioned in the bowl telling who ever still showed up that they could take as much as they wanted.
Word Count: 827
The Adult Phase
Of Halloween
One of the things I didn’t like about the place where I lived in Telluride was that I couldn’t give out Trick-or-Treat candy on Halloween. Care-taking a McMansion up in the Mountain Village above Telluride was like living in a rich man’s ghost town. It’s deathly quiet all the time, and as you listen to the wind howling like a wayward banshee, the darkness and cold creeping closer and closer, and the occasional coyote yelp, you begin to realize where you are. At least the atmosphere was appropriate for the time of year.
Now that I’ve moved back to Silverton, I’m finally getting my chance to give out Trick-or-Treat candy. Some of you are probably saying to yourselves, “Big deal, so the guy finally gets to give out sweets on Halloween. What’s so special about that?”
In order for someone to understand this strange excitement, we need to examine my childhood Halloweens. While doing the candy accumulation rounds of my youth, dad would escort us. More often than not it also seemed as if he enjoyed the Trick-or-Treat chaperon experience almost as much as I did the dressing up phase. Sometimes he’d even accompany us right up to the doorstep of the house to do some bullshitting with the person giving out the free sweets.
This is one of the beauties of living in a small town like Silverton and knowing everybody. Followed of course by all of us stepping inside so the grownups could share an adult beverage while the kids restlessly sat there. Followed every minute or so by the children asking how many more centuries we’d be there before heading to the next begging station.
All these years later I’ve finally discovered why my dad loved accompanying us on our rounds. There’s something intrinsically cool about the entire concept of Halloween Trick-or-Treat. From a kid’s perspective you’re getting to dress up as one of your favorite super heroes. The comic book Gods know I had a lot of them too. From an adult’s perspective you’re getting this really special feeling from seeing the expressions on the faces of the kids when you drop the candy in their bag.
My living arrangement this year in Silverton has finally given me a chance to do the candy distribution aspect of the ritual. I was going to carry out everything within my power to maximize the results too. First off, I got the owner of the hotel I’m managing to provide me with lots of cool paraphernalia to decorate the stairs leading up to the front desk. Over-sized spiders, a huge fake pumpkin, and orange lights to accent the handrail.
Next I called a good friend to provide me with additional decorations to enhance the climb for all my would-be ghouls and goblins. This wasn’t going to be just any old run-of-the-mill trick-or-treat way station for the kids. The experience of a lifetime? At least for yours truly it was.
Phase III of the operation had me scouting out the proper music for the occasion. Something sufficiently scary, ghoulish sounding, but not too creepy for the little ones. Appropriately inviting though.
Finally the crowning achievement. Silverton may have a small group of kids, but they’ve got lots of energy and are highly enthusiastic. Figuring that if they know where to go to obtain free candy handouts they’ll come in droves.
Falling back on my totally ignored artistic skills, I drew a map for my 8-year old contact at the school. Instructed her to give it out to all her friends and prospective trick-or-treating colleagues of course. More copies of the map were drawn up and taken to the folks at the pre-school to give out to parents. This trick-or-treat candy handout was going to be a success and I wasn’t planning to increase my blood sugar levels by eating the leftovers either.
Last but not least, I decided on a costume to wear. Using an old can of aerosol hair spray I had with more strange ingredients in it than Dow Chemicalrefuses to tell the general public about, I formulated my get-up. Choosing a suit that might match the hairstyle, I then contacted another friend to borrow a mask. These kids would get a kick out of trick-or-treating at the hotel, but my outfit would make me totally incognito. The way I liked it for strange occasions such as this.
So how’d it work out? Since getting copy to The Standard needs me to provide it to Mark prior to Monday so it’ll make it into this week’s newspaper I can’t say. Unless of course I can/could find a time machine that allows me travel into the future. If you’re unlucky enough to catch me on the street this coming week, I can fill you in on the results. Since “quirky eccentric” is an appropriate way to describe me, I’m sure it was a rousing success.
