On Oct. 29, children in New Britain, Conn. took part in an “early Halloween.”
New Britain officials decided that the Halloween tradition be carried out during daylight hours and on a different day. The Hartford Courant reported that the changes were made after Doris Kurtz, the Superintendent of Schools in the city, expressed concerns stemming from the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11.
As children marched through the streets Sunday in their costumes looking for candy, many of them received curious stares. While some New Britain residents did have candy on hand to distribute, others did not.
“Out of every ten houses, two houses answer the door,” mother Maria Marrero told the Courant.
The children’s own disenchantment with a change in the holiday was due to the ambiance during the day. It was not the same. Also, several were sent away by other residents because they did not have candy available.
The husband of Angela Devoe, a New Britain resident, went as far as to place a sign in his front yard, reading “Go Away!!! No Candy!!!!”
“It’s not Halloween and it just doesn’t seem right,” Devoe said to the Courant, in an attempt to explain her husband’s actions.