Next to Christmas, Halloween has always been one of my favourite days.
Growing up as a kid in Saskatchewan, Oct. 31 was always circled on the calendar.
What's not to like about getting dressed up as Dracula, a pirate or your favourite super hero, getting one of your mom's pillow cases out of the linen closet, meeting up with your friends and knocking on doors for candy?
The only thing better was getting home, throwing your bag open and pouring out all the loot on the floor. Halloween candy every day for lunch was awesome.
But lately, my fond childhood memories of Halloween are turning into disappointment and disgust.
While this year's Halloween on the Coast was fairly tame compared to previous years, there were still problems.Police made numerous fireworks seizures and responded to many noise complaints. There were several random acts of vandalism, windows broken at several schools and some property damage, including one troubling incident that happened to one of our reporters.
Christine Wood was out enjoying and taking photos at the fireworks display put on by the Sechelt Indian Band.I must point out that it was a great display, as was the display high in the skies above Pender Harbour. Everyone involved in putting on the shows should be commended.
As I said, Christine was shooting photos. When she got back to her vehicle, her window had been smashed and her dog was missing. She got into a heated exchange with a passerby, whom she asked for assistance. We still don't know who broke the window. And, for the record, Christine later found her dog.
I guess I can be thankful that there were no other serious incidents this year on the Coast.
In the Lower Mainland, there were several fire and fireworks injuries; someone was even stabbed.
Why is it that when Halloween rolls around, some people use the night as an excuse to go crazy Ñ to vandalize cars, break windows and create a disturbance Ñ when it should be about candy, dressing up and having fun?
Don't get me wrong. There were plenty of treats, as evident by our photos on page B2. I just wish some people got more into the treats than the tricks.
Election timeIt's election time or, as one politician recently put it, "the silly season."
On Wednesday night, I covered the first of many all-candidates forums in Gibsons. The turnout from the public was good, but it certainly could have been better.
In the next two weeks, there will be several forums held in Gibsons and Sechelt. This is the opportunity for you to meet the candidates and pin them down on the issues that matter to you.
Coast Reporter will be there every step of the way.
Last week, we presented the candidates for school trustee. This week, it's the candidates for Sechelt council. Next week, we introduce the Gibsons candidates, and we end our coverage on Nov. 18 with the SCRD.
We'll be at all the forums and report on those too, but you have a part to play in this as well. It's hard to present everyone's views in a news story. It's up to you to attend these forums and see first-hand what the candidates stand for.Be informed. Election day is Nov. 19. It's critical that everyone exercises their right to vote.
