Just did Trick-or-Treat in Scott Walker's home town.

[HereSince1628]

Two hours of sitting in the cold handing out candy...and watching their accompanying parents drinking a lot of beer.

Not that I'm against beer, I do live in Wisconsin...its just one of those things I'm surprised to find in Scott Walker's hometown.

Really, I went decades without participation in Halloween so this has caught up with me as if I were Rip Van Winkle waking up. There are a surprising number of rules...Trick-or-Treating takes place on 'designated blocks". Homeowners are supposed to register, you pay a fee and the neighborhood association kicks in money to help you purchase 'approved' candy (I'm sure that's due to fears that someone would put something into the treats). You sit outside in the front yard to indicate you are participating, kids aren't supposed to go knocking on random doors...All these rules are just exactly the sort of thing I'd expect in Wauwatosa.

But, there is no rule against the parents openly drinking while accompanying their kids. And I'd say somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 were. I gotta say, I am surprised the strasse-furhers don't mention anything in the rules about being sober while guiding kids across intersections in the dark. There isn't even a rule against glass bottles.

[Warpy]

1. I live in a shitty neighborhood with no HOA

Most of the kids show up in homemade costumes, their parents are sober, and they do it on Halloween, even when it's a school night. You turn your porch lights on if you want to see them, otherwise they skip your house.

It's very civilized here. The kids are great.

[annabanana]

3. Just like mine . . . n/t

[msongs]

2. Halloween is not until Monday nt

[HereSince1628]

4. True, but that has nothing to do with 'authorized' trick or treating

by doing it this way, the neighborhood association tries to avoid 'busloads' of immigrant goblins from Milwaukee's west side.

[PeaceNikki]

8. were you in Washington Highlands, by chance?

[undeterred]

5. And next year you'll be able to carry a concealed weapon.

Yay, Wisconsin. We've caught up with the rest of the lunatics. :sarcasm:

[PeaceNikki]

6. Colorado Springs?

He's not a Wisconsin native. His residence is in Wauwatosa, *my* hometown. Is that where you were?

I don't know what neighborhood you were in, but that's not the norm and not the city. Sounds like a weird neighborhood. And not Walker's neighborhood.

[shraby]

7. It's the porch light thing here too. The city sets the hours

for trick or treating so kidlets aren't out after dark running the streets. I usually have fun with the tweenies (to old to trick or treat and too young to do other stuff). They will show up in a small group so I have them sing Mary had a Little Lamb. They'll giggle a bit, but will usually give me a song for the treats.

[Morning Dew]

9. Sweet Jesus!

That's not trick or treating.

Not sure what it is though.

[RetroLounge]

10. Maybe you should try a little less broad brush

Wauwatosa is a city of over 50,000 people. Did you see all of them, and were you in every neighborhood?

I live here, and I used to live in Walker's neighborhood. So I think I know a bit more about it than you.

Please drop the bullshit generalizations about Tosa based on your limited experience.

You want to share which neighborhood you were in?

Or do you just want to trash the entire city based on specious crap?

RL

[PeaceNikki]

12. I was wondering what you'd think of this post.

:)

I adore Tosa and it was a wonderful place to grow up. And, despite the fact he is in it, his neighborhood is my favorite. Lovely people, parks and places.

[HereSince1628]

13. Pasadena neighborhood.

So considering your experience, you can answer the question about how long the beer-guzzling by parents walking with their too-young-to-be-out-alone-in-the-dark trick-or-treaters has been going on?

[RetroLounge]

14. No idea. Didn't see any of it with my kids

Did you have a solution, or did you just want to whine?

RL

[HereSince1628]

16. Solutions would be few on a Sunday.

But I've contacted the NHA organizer and asked whether their permit for the event included alcohol consumption.

My recommendation to the NHA will be that in the future their requirement that parents accompany children might be accompanied by a request that the accompanying parents not to imbibe during the T-o-T walk.

My recommendation to my alderman will be for greater care given to code requirements for the permit, and that arrangements are made for warning drivers, many of whom have no expectation that T-o-T is occurring on a night other than Halloween. The elementary school walk fund-raisers that are conducted during daylight have greater safety precautions for traffic than this event.

[RetroLounge]

18. All reasonable and valid suggestions...

:hi:

RL

[PeaceNikki]

15. You were participating in a single neighborhood association's semi-private event.

Like a block party, but door-to-door in costume. The city of Wauwatosa did not impose those restrictions nor did/do they sanction drinking while trick-or-treating, as a rule. I have friends all over Wauwatosa, including that neighborhood. And I've spoken to them. Kids were not turned away, and parents were not drunk. I suspect that what you saw was a handful or 2 of parents having beer while trick-or-treating. I don't think they were drunk or their kids in danger. And I seriously doubt that they were "guzzling". Other than trying to get a rise out of DU by mentioning Walker, I don't understand why you'd try to paint a generally poor image of a wonderful community. I imagine you have close friends or family in it that were participating in this event - you should ask them to clarify questions you have. And if you seriously thought the parents were putting the kids in danger, you should have spoken up to them or local law enforcement.

[HereSince1628]

17. Yes, I know all about that. Who said kids were turned away?

I wrote that the rules were just as I expected them to be...except for my surprise with the amount of beer drinking.

I know what I saw, and although I didn't sit with a tally-meter, it was that between 1/3 and 1/2 of the accompanying parents were walking with beer--in bottles and cans. It was remarkable, and I remarked.

[RetroLounge]

11. and by the way, Walker is from Colorado

were you trick or treating in Colorado?

RL

[Texasgal]

19. OMG!

Someone THINK OF THE CHIDREN!

Lord knows we can't have any drinking or dancing fer cryin' out loud! :eyes: