KORI BARKLEY
Special to The Leader
Halloween may be seen as one of the most fun and exciting holidays of the year, but, in Fredonia, it is highly regulated. Children of the area are only allowed to trick-or-treat for a couple of hours and — unfortunately, sometimes — not even on the actual holiday.
“The village board of trustees sets the trick-or- treating hours and determines the day that trick-or- treating will take place on,” said Fredonia Police Chief Bradley C. Meyers. “The reasons behind this include the general party atmosphere surrounding areas of college housing and the lack of preparedness expected of students to afford or purchase candy.”
Every October, Mason Hall opens its doors to the community for “Mason Hall Safe Trick-or-Treat,” commonly known as “Safe Halloween,” for that reason.
During the event, Phi Mu Alpha — and members of other Student Association groups from all over campus — collaborate in Mason Hall, where they dress in costumes and decorate practice rooms for children to come and trick-or-treat.
Other activities such as musical chairs, art and crafts and face painting take place.
Safe Halloween was created in 2006 by Eric Perry, a brother of Phi Mu Alpha, in lieu of the time limitations.
“We continue to do this every year because of the growing popularity of the event and positive responses we’ve gotten from parents of the community,” Nick Albanese, a brother of Phi Mu Alpha and current coordinator of Safe Halloween, stated. “Typically, we get about 30 SA groups to distribute candy and anywhere from 200 to 300 children to participate throughout the day.”
This year, Safe Halloween will take place Saturday, Oct. 26 from 9 a.m. until noon. The event is free and open to parents and children ages 12 and under for a fun and friendly trick-or-treating experience. Costumes are encouraged.