‘The city doesn't regulate Halloween': Halloween Sunday a spooky proposition to some (WITH POLL)

Halloween is two months away but some residents are already trying to figure how to handle the holiday that promotes a late night sugar buzz while trying to get the kids in bed for school Monday morning.

Angie Fears answers the phones at City Hall and has already had three people call and ask about what to do with Halloween, and whether or not the city can change it to be celebrated on a Saturday instead.

Fears said she wasn’t really sure what to tell them.

Michele Nicholson, with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, said it’s an issue that has come up every seven years — every time Halloween falls on a Sunday.

“The city doesn’t regulate Halloween,” she said.

Typically, when Halloween falls on a Sunday it simply means double the fun, and people can usually expect trick-or-treaters two nights in a row.

“Some people will choose to go Saturday, and some people will still go on Sunday; that’s their prerogative,” she said. “Technically you can go trick-or-treating tonight.”

She said that because some people do choose to go on Saturday, the Sheriff’s Office does get involved enough to release safety notices for both nights. The notices basically set safety guidelines and offer a recommended time slot with the best hours for all the ghosts, pumpkins, and Power Rangers to roam the streets.

When The Log asked Destin residents how they felt about the age-old debate on Facebook, answers were mixed but the majority who commented preferred keeping the Halloween hoopla on Halloween. The first to respond, Nancy Frederic Zick, had seemingly considered the issue before when she posted, “I think it should be on Saturday night for obvious reasons…”

The rest of the responses pretty much concurred with the post from Sam Shelton as he put simply, “heck no, leave it alone.”

Scott Jacobs said there is “nothing evil” about his son dressing up as Spider Man for Halloween.

“Leave it alone and promote a sense of community by encouraging people to be neighborly,” he wrote. “Is it really that much trouble to answer the door a few times and hand out a few pieces of candy to children?”

Though it looks like the city will probably steer clear from implementing an official date to trick-or-treat, there may just be ballerinas and mini-firemen roaming around both Saturday and Sunday. It’s something Michele Nicholson has come to accept and even prepares for by making sure her bucket of candy is ready a day in advance.

 “Because there is nothing worse than having a little girl dressed up like Cinderella come to your door with no candy to give her.”