Well over a thousand kids, with parents in tow, packed the sidewalks of the Greenwood and Phinney Ridge business districts for Safe Trick or Treat today. The annual event is sponsored by the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce.
The carnival games at the 5th annual Harvest Fest sponsored by Green Bean Coffee House, became a focal point for the kids.
The games used in previous years were stored in the basement of the Eleanor Roosevelt Building, which was deliberately set on fire Oct. 23. Organizers were relieved to find the games survived the blaze, probably in part because three feet of water from the fire hoses filled the storage area.
Community volunteers stepped up to clean up the games and staff the event.
Here’s one of the salvaged games:
And here’s one of several new ones people hurriedly built or donated after the fire, along with lots of candy for prizes.
All along the route, we kept seeing calls for donations for the businesses victimized by the fire, including this cauldron outside Terra Bella.
There was even a bake sale outside SPACE: A Design Build Collective. Neighbors donated the baked goods and 100 percent of the proceeds went to the Greenwood Fire Relief Fund.
Besides that serious note, the event had a carnival feel, with plenty of business owners and parents getting into the spirit, dressed up as every creature or person you could think of, including this guy outside of Cowboys & Angels Salon.
This guy had Michael Jackson and his moves down pat:
And we liked this juxtaposition of a fairy princess and a zombie:
While the decent fall weather held up, the candy didn’t for some businesses not prepared for the influx of kids. Several of these signs popped up later in the afternoon.
Trust us though, there was still plenty of candy to go around. And with many of those same kids heading out tonight for neighborhood trick or treating, we’re pretty sure they’ll have no problem getting their share of sugary treats. Happy Halloween!
8 responses so far ↓
1 halloweiner // Oct 31, 2009 at 6:57 pm
What’s unsafe about the old method of trick-or-treat where you actually go to people’s houses? The razor blade stuff is urban legend. When parents go with children, it’s safe to cross streets and to approach your actual living, breathing neighbors in their homes.
We moved to the Ridge two years ago. We had no idea we were giving up trick-or-treat because people here seem to favor this daytime ritual over the less transactional and more neighborly tradition. I grew up in blue-collar Fremont in the ’70s and ’80s; I’ll cop to nostalgia for the Halloween of back then, when it was normal to go to your neighbors’ houses. When you didn’t check the paper to find out where to trick-or-treat.
Looks like we’re in for another Halloween of waiting in vain for anyone to show up. I think the safety excuse is really a “bowling alone” phenom of modern Seattle solitude. Sad.
2 amh98103 // Oct 31, 2009 at 8:00 pm
We have lots of trick- or- treaters at night, but it is nice to see the little ones out in the daytime with their parents. It is a fun day for everyone up and down Greenwood. I think you are seeing less trick-or-treating because there are fewer kids in the neighborhood compared to some of the suburbs.
3 sezdog // Oct 31, 2009 at 8:18 pm
I’m really proud of our neighborhood! It’s great to see people wanting to help others.
Halloweiner–I hear you about Seattle solitude, but we do get trick-or-treaters every year. Last year we had a TON. This year fewer, I think.
4 Woody Bombay // Nov 1, 2009 at 7:50 am
halloweiner,
If you think that’s a phenomenon unique to Seattle, you’re kidding yourself.
And “more neighborly” is your opinion, not a fact — we took our little one up to Greenwood in the afternoon and had a great time talking to neighbors and seeing their kids in costume.
Anyway, we had plenty of trick-or-treaters stop by our house.
5 josephina // Nov 1, 2009 at 9:53 am
When we moved back to the area 4 years ago, only two trick-or-treaters came to the door; I was really disappointed. The next year my daughter and I went around the neighborhood two weeks before Halloween and left notes and little treats for all the neighbors on the block encouraging them to do the neighborhood trick or treat thing and to come by our house for a party after. That year we had about 10 groups of kids and a great neighbor party. This year we had at least 20 to 30 groups of kids and almost every house on the block was decorated and passed out candy. Lots of neighbors came by for the party too. Lesson- Quit yer bitchin’ and do something about it if you want more neighborhood participation.
We also love the Greenwood Ave trick-or-treat as we see lots of kids from school and it is great for the local businesses. I think we should lobby the city to shut down the street to pedestrians only for next year.
6 halloweiner // Nov 1, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Quit my bitchin’? Isn’t that what blogs are for?
And yes, Woody, of course my comment reflects my opinion. That’s what comment sections are for. Like your opinion that daytime trick-or-treat is a good time.
I think I’ll keep bitchin’ and stay in my house every night of the year, like the rest of my neighbors. Then I’ll fit in just fine!
7 neighbor // Nov 1, 2009 at 9:20 pm
snarkiness aside, daytime trick or treating is great for the really little ones. Mine is just two and the less-spooky daylight vibe is great, plus night time trick or treating would just be too late for him. We still had all of the “older” kids in the neighborhood come by at night. I don’t think the daytime business gig takes away from that. If anything, I think data would prove commenter #2 right. Fewer young ones in a neighborhood = less trick or treating.
8 Clara // Nov 3, 2009 at 12:19 pm
We went out trick-or-treating in the evening with our boys 3 and 5. Had a great time! The boys got quite a haul. There is one ’super-scarey’ house in our neighborhood that I could not get the boys up the steps, but we visited almost everyone else that had a porch light on. We skip any house with no light and no decorations. I had no idea the Greenwood ‘walk’ was supposed to take the place of evening trick or treating. We couldn’t make it anyway -
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