[ HALLOWEEN ]
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The Children's Discovery Center celebrated an early Halloween yesterday as a finale to its "My Tutu and Me" classes for grandparents and their grandchildren. Children were invited to dress up in costume, with fun activities planned for the occasion. Darius Cade got some artwork done with the help of his grandfather, Bill Sleeman.
Older tricksters
recall treats of pastParents miss the days of
homemade outfits and safer routes
for kids on Halloween
Lori Arashiro and her 4-year-old won't be trick-or-treating this week. Instead, they're headed to the mall for a costume contest and other activities.
But Arashiro of Kalani Valley remembers "a different world" in the early 1970s, when people didn't have to worry as much about the safety of their children.
"I miss it ... We had bags and bags of candy ... but it wasn't so much about the candy" as it was about "going out in the dark with a flashlight," seeing your friends from school in the neighborhood, and enjoying the decorations and lighted jack-o-lanterns at each house.
Because of safety, homemade costumes have been replaced by coordinated store-bought outfits and Hollywood-caliber makeup. The costumes are now made of reflective material so they will be visible to cars, flame-resistant and nonsuffocating.
Kids are accompanied or even driven around neighborhoods for trick-or-treating by an adult. Or they are taken to group festivities instead.
Today Halloween has "gotten so sophisticated," says Laurel Hall of Nuuanu, looking at the Halloween paraphernalia at the Pali Longs Drugs Store.
Hall, who plans to join festivities with a fake eye plastered to her forehead, will attend the yearly block party on Nuuanu's Dowsett Avenue, where the neighborhood moves from party to party on the lawns and puts on entertainment for each other, including music, skits and plays.
"It's a mob scene. There's always ton of people, (even) from other neighborhoods. Everybody has their homes decorated."
Josephine Chay of Kamehameha Terrace said Halloween used to be "safer" and "very, very lovely. It was different. Today, children aren't as thrilled or as happy when they come (to your door). They critique what you're giving them and don't always say thank you."
And she said she notices that lots of people who don't live in her neighborhood come trick-or-treating.
Tricia Longhway of Palolo Valley said: "It was a safer time. The neighbors would hand out apples and handmade cookies or candy. ... It was a blast."
BACK TO TOP |
Safety tips
The Honolulu Fire Department recommends the following tips for a safe Halloween on Friday.
Costumes
>> Select costumes that are light, bright and clearly visible to motorists. Decorate costumes and treat-bags with reflective tape.
(The state Department of Education and the Honolulu Police Department have distributed "Be Safe, Be Seen" stickers to public school students in the kindergarten to fifth grades on Oahu. They are also available at Oahu's satellite city halls.)
>> Keep costumes short enough to prevent tripping, and well-fitted to minimize the risk of contact with candles and other fire sources.
>> A natural mask of cosmetics is better than a loose-fitting mask that might restrict breathing or obscure vision.
Decorations
>> Keep candles and jack-o-lanterns away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame or people could trip over them.
>> Indoors, keep candles, etc. away from curtains and combustible items.
>> Use light strings or electrical decorations instead of candles, if at all possible. Check to see that decorations, sockets and wires are not damaged. Don't overload extension cords.
Trick-or-treating
>> Smaller children should always be with an adult.
>> Know what neighborhoods your children will be in, and have them stay in a group.
>> Make sure your home is well-lit and there is a clear path to your door. Instruct children to approach houses that have outside lights on as a signal of welcome.
>> Instruct children to carry a flashlight, and use sidewalks and crosswalks.
>> Instruct children never to go inside someone's home, and never accept a ride in a car, unless it is a friend's.
>> Bring bags home to be checked by an adult before eating a single treat.
Checking treats
>> Throw out anything that appears tampered with, homemade or home-packaged unless you are certain of the source.
>> Inspect fruit closely and take away treats that youngsters may choke on, like hard candy or peanuts.
