<p>With stormy weather in the forecast for Halloween, officials in both Tisbury and Oak Bluffs announced that trick or treating would be postponed until Saturday.
With stormy weather in the forecast for Halloween, public officials in Tisbury and Oak Bluffs both announced that trick or treating would be postponed until Saturday.
Tisbury selectmen voted Tuesday to postpone a popular slate of downtown Halloween events, including trick or treating on William street and a Main street puppet parade.
“We’ve got a dark and stormy night [predicted] for Halloween,” said board chairman Melinda Loberg at the regular selectmen’s meeting in the Katharine Cornell Theatre.
The change came at the request of the Tisbury Business Association, which sponsors the parade and other events at downtown businesses.
And Halloween is when throngs of Islanders head for William street Vineyard Haven, a top-ranked neighborhood for trick or treaters on Martha’s Vineyard.
On Wednesday, Oak Bluffs followed suit with an announcement from police that trick or treating would be postponed for safety reasons.
Meanwhile, after hearing some grumbling from Islanders about thee postponements, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum said it would open its doors from 5 to 7 p.m. on Halloween for games and candy.
All are welcome, museum development director Katy Fuller said.
There will be a scavenger hunt for families, candy in every gallery and cider and hot chocolate in the museum cafe.
In an announcement that went out Wednesday, Tisbury selectmen said the following street closures to vehicle traffic will be in effect on Saturday:
• Main street will be closed from 3 to 3:30 p.m. for the parade and trick or treating.
• William street from Spring street to Woodlawn, and Centre street from Main to Franklin will be closed from from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The annual town hall haunted tour has been canceled because it could not be rescheduled, the announcement said.
Comments
What about all the residents
Parishoner TisburyWhat about all the residents on William St. And the Baptist Church that Already have plans for Saturday?? Our Harvest Dinner is scheduled for Saturday. Food has been ordered already, tickets sold etc. and we always have an open house for trick-or-treaters in the Parish House on William St.
I for one am very upset with this decision!!!!
Why would you be upset when
Not Tisbury Not TisburyWhy would you be upset when it's a safety issue. I think it's time people start thinking about others than just the selfish reasons some people make decisions.
Drivers have a difficult time driving in the dark , rain and with objects walking and with flashlights so I applaud this decision in OB and Tisbury.
We’re raising a generation of
Christine VHWe’re raising a generation of children who are not allowed to be disappointed or take away any first prize, everyone’s a winner. It’s ok to be disappointed because a storm made it so you couldn’t trick or treat. There’s been so many Halloween parties this past week and even tomorrow, they will survive. The residents of William Street will now be bombarded on Saturday. Will the selectmen be donating candy to the residents?
This is exactly what the
Yes They WillThis is exactly what the funds from the newly-levied short term rental tax will be used for, to cover unforeseen costs such as the donation of bags of candy to the residents of William Street. If you think I am being sarcastic I am not.
Jesus, calm down. It's a rain
Jimmy AqJesus, calm down. It's a rain delay on trick-or-treating, not Social Security reform.
It's kind of cool that we as
Snarky EdgartownIt's kind of cool that we as a community can delay a national holiday. While we're at it, Thanksgiving on a Thursday has always seemed inconvenient. How does Saturday, November 30 work for everyone?
Halloween is neither a
um, actuallyHalloween is neither a national holiday nor a Massachusetts state holiday. But incidentally Thanksgiving on Saturday 11/30 would work better for me. Who do we talk to about this?
I see a lot of snark in the
T Bone OBI see a lot of snark in the first few comments. I for one have no desire to hit a kid in costume in 20 mph winds and driving rain. But maybe that's me. And seriously -- the island is full of crappy drivers this time of year.
All kids are welcome to come
jonathan blum edgartownAll kids are welcome to come to 97 Williams Street on Saturday. We'll be dressed as pirates giving away soft serve ice cream cones to everyone, young and old alike. Chocolate, vanilla or a twist. We hope to see you trick or treating on Saturday! :)
I hope it doesn't snow on
bs Oak BluffsI hope it doesn't snow on Christmas Eve. I was hoping to take the kids caroling in the neighborhood. Oh well, I'll just have to do whatever the government tells me to do. They know best.
Imagine being this miserable
Jimmy AqImagine being this miserable
Really like this comment! Get
William Edg.Really like this comment! Get government out of our lives!!!
Gotta love snowflakes in
Jac MVGotta love snowflakes in October.
It was a lovely night for
BS Oak BluffsIt was a lovely night for trick or treating. Selectmen should stick to what they do best - wait wrong term- they should stick to what they were elected to do and not pretend they are weathermen, the voters will decide what they do best.
Postponing Halloween. Just
DownislanderPostponing Halloween. Just when I thought there couldn’t be a dumber local decision. It’s 60+ degrees and balmy. We used to go out in the snow and rain. It’s more about the comfort of the adults now.
What a shame that town
Islander Too TisburyWhat a shame that town selectmen spoiled Halloween for the children.
For everyone, actually. It was a lovely, typical fall evening. No reason whatsoever to cancel.
It was a bit windy but not very. There were a few raindrops.
This is an excellent example of handwringing over nonexistent "safety" issues. Who are these wusses? They sound like people who want to control everything and mold children's experiences so that there are no surprises. No real fun. When we were kids running around West Tisbury at night on our own--no grownups, and older kids throwing rotten eggs from the cemetery or jumping out to scare us!!---we loved it if the wind was blowing and the treetops were whipping . . . Spooky!!! That is what Halloween is really about. Not candy. Halloween is an atmosphere that typical fall weather contributes to. It is a harbinger of the dark season to come. To completely domesticate Halloween, why not just move Halloween to a pool house and feed the children sugary treats that they don't even have to lift a foot to get . . . Oh, and add some more plastic "decorations" in the form of fake fog and fake police tapes.
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