CSD sent out this note from Superintendent Phyllis Edwards yesterday…

Fall is certainly a beautiful time of year. I am sure you are enjoying the cooler weather and changing leaves, football games, dances and school fall festivals. Many of our Decatur families celebrate Halloween. While Halloween can be a memorable and fun event, it can also pose concerns for the safety of your children, regardless of their age.

This year, Halloween falls on a Friday night. I urge you escort your children while they trick or treat, and to be especially aware of moving vehicles as your children travel from house to house. The CDC issued a very helpful list of safety tips for Halloween- read it by following this link.

If your children are older, I ask that each neighborhood keep a watch on playground areas, parks and school property, which in past years have become areas for students to gather. Alcohol use and illegal substances or inappropriate activities are never allowed to take place on school property. I am contacting the Chief of Police this week to ask that our school grounds be patrolled.

As you trick or treat through your neighborhood, please be aware and alert. If you should see or hear anything in your neighborhood that is not normal, please contact the police. If you are a school SLT member or PTA member, perhaps you can talk with your Principal about forming a patrol. Please become involved so we can help avert any unfortunate results.

While we are proud of our accomplishments, one of the most important priorities of the school system is to ensure that our students are safe. We wish our families a safe and fun Halloween.

Sincerely,

Dr. Phyllis Edwards, Superintendent

From the City of Decatur website…

Decorate your home or business in the colors and traditions of the season and enter Decatur’s third annual Halloween Decorating Contest. Submit a photo to [email protected] by noon on Monday, Oct. 29. Be sure to include your name and address. Judges will make their decision Monday evening and the winners will be posted on the Decatur website, the DowntownDecatur Facebook page, and the www.thedecaturminute.com blog. Winners will receive special yard signs on Tuesday, Oct. 30, to display throughout the week.

The winner of the Commissioners Cauldron will be presented at the Nov. 5 city commission meeting. If you have questions or need more information email [email protected] or call 678-553-6573.

And related: what are the best area streets to hit over the next few weeks, if you have children who want to see all the coolest houses?

Libby wrote in last night…

We were passing out candy tonight to Trick or Treaters when we noticed a pitbull terrier running in the street on S. McDonough St. right across from Agnes Scott College. Very friendly, and obviously trained. We’ve put up signs tonight but are hoping you can help us find this dog’s owner! There were no tags with a phone number… just a collar. Please call 770-402-3723 if you or someone you know is missing a dog! We’d like for anyone who calls to be able to give us a description of the dog to ensure it is going back to its owners.

We’ll be taking it to Decatur Village Vets tomorrow to see if it is microchipped. We appreciate any help you can offer!

Judd sent me a link yesterday to this Wall Street Journal op-ed by Journal Lenore Skenazy – the “Free Range Kids” lady who we’ve discussed before – about how many parents fear their kids’ few hours of freedom on Halloween despite all evidence to the contrary.

It’s a good, sarcastic and irritated rant.  Full of fun facts and assertions.  I’m a fan of this line in particular, “Sure, the folks down the street might smile and wave the rest of the year, but apparently they were just biding their time before stuffing us silly with strychnine-laced Smarties.” (However, I’m a sucker for a sentence that starts with “Sure,” truth be told.)

Anyway.  Parents, free-range advocates, those annoyed by “nanny-“anything will all find something to cherish in its peevish paragraphs.  I strongly recommend it.

But Judd’s right on the money when he remarks that the conclusion reminds him of assertions often made here on DM…

In fact, she says, “We almost called this paper, ‘Halloween: The Safest Day of the Year,’ because it was just so incredibly rare to see anything happen on that day.”

Why is it so safe? Because despite our mounting fears and apoplectic media, it is still the day that many of us, of all ages, go outside. We knock on doors. We meet each other. And all that giving and taking and trick-or-treating is building the very thing that keeps us safe: community.

We can kill off Halloween, or we can accept that it isn’t dangerous and give it back to the kids. Then maybe we can start giving them back the rest of their childhoods, too.

Hell yeah.  Take back the night from the apoplectic media.

Why the heck not?

Feel free to chime in and report your own Halloween stories. Baaww hahahaha!

Nothing says Halloween like deli meat.

Halloween, for many young people, is synonymous with candy. Two state representatives from DeKalb County, Stephanie Stuckey Benfield and Michelle Henson, have found a positive way for children to enjoy the holiday, limit candy consumption, and support our troops overseas.

In conjunction with Kool Smiles, both representatives are sponsoring a candy buy back initiative where the first 100 trick-or-treaters (ages 2-16) can trade three or more pounds of candy for a $5.00 gift certificate to Subway Sandwich Shop. From November 1st to the 6th, kids can drop off the candy to Kool Smiles to receive the gift certificate. Drop offs will be collected during normal business hours (9:00 am to 6:00 pm). The candy will be shipped to U.S. soldiers stationed abroad through Operation Gratitude.

Zero Dollar Foot-Long!  The Clairmont Heights Civic Association has the full release.

Mindy alerts us that a link to Moey’s segment on CNN Saturday Morning yesterday is a prominent link on CNN.com right now. On top of that, you can buy a CNN t-shirt with the headline “Obama Wins Candy Vote” for $15!

Its Moey Madness!  All links and coverage can now be seen on candyvote.com.