The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Halloween Trick or Treating - ON

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response in my in-box, I think it's safe to say that Safewalk or no Safewalk, the neighborhood, er village, wants to come together for a little prudent mischief. If you're in the mood for giving out some treats to the little ones, just be sure to put some sort of sign out on your stoop and you'll have plenty of customers. See you out there; some will be starting at 4 or so, though the stated time of the original walk was 5 so I'd expect most of the traffic from then til sundown. Drive slowly!


I thought I'd post here and see what y'all had to say. But the Lefferts Manor Association had this posted on their website:


The Halloween Safe Path Walk scheduled for November 1st has been cancelled due to the hurricane. We will announce the new date as soon as possible. Be careful out there.

Not to quibble, but I'm pretty sure Halloween is October 31.

I totally get canceling an event that requires police. They're busy with more important matters. Still, WE'RE the adults. If we want to trick-or-treat, by gum we can trick-or-treat. We're pretty good at keeping the little ones out of the roads, and trick-or-treating is always volutary anyway. You just go where it looks like you can get some loot. If you don't want to participate, make it look like you're not participating and we'll leave you alone.

I suggest a narrow window, like 4 or 5-sunset, and a broader route so that those of us who rarely get trick-or-treated can pitch in. Heck, some people probably already bought a bunch of goodies. If you did, drop your address on me and we'll swing by! I know the businesses usually have candy, but that's not the same as going to a house. Also, maybe it'll be fun to have to track down the houses that have candy! Last year on the Safewalk it seemed like fishing in an aquarium.

As I noted on the PLG listserve I don't want to be impolitic or make light of the suffering going on all around us. But Halloween happens on Halloween, and I sincerely doubt that the Safewalk will happen anytime later this year. Once the holiday's gone, it's gone.

Please chime in. I'm prepared to be wrong. I AM putting out a jack-o-lantern though. It's always been the Q's favorite day.

theQ

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi this came up last year. I prefer that community can be fostered through collective participation, not only through organized programs. It would please me to see people on blocks other than those on the official routes to be frequented. Every year I have to flag down trick or treaters who don't see my lit doorway as they pass by to get to the 'official' route. It would be a refreshing change, and, possibly safer I wonder to try it this way.

Play Kids said...

Stop by Play Kids to get some Treats when you're out and about tonight! (Flatbush & Westbury Ct.)

MadMommaCarmen said...

A group is meeting at 5pm on the corner of Rutland and Flatbush and we are walking together from there (only for about an hour or so). Various businesses on Flatbush are participating in addition to many homes within PLG.

Bob Marvin said...

Carmen,

Are you following the usual route? If so, please don't forget Midwood II (we're @ 135). I didn't buy the amount of candy I get when we're expecting thousands of kids, but there's a lot more than my wife and I want to eat ourselves :-)

MadMommaCarmen said...

Bob, we plan to stop by Rutland I and II, then Midwood II and I, then Flatbush and we'll see what the energy level is from there. Looking forward to getting out of the house and seeing some friends :)

Bob Marvin said...

We ran out of candy at about 5:50--I think that might have been before you got to Midwood II :-(

It was nice, in a way, to have scores, rather than thousands, of kids