FRAZIER: How one freaky Friday turned Halloween topsy-turvy

Published 4:00 am Saturday, October 8, 2022

I am planning to visit my son at the end of the month, and because I didn’t want to miss out on being home for Halloween – knowing my grandsons would be ringing the doorbell for treats – I reached out to Sheriff Martin Pace.

For me, Pace is the go-to on county goings-on, so I rang him up to see when trick-or-treating would be observed. The sheriff would never laugh in my face, but if he could, I am sure he would have when I asked, “When will we be observing trick-or-treating?’”

His rhetorical response to me was, “On Oct. 31, Halloween.”

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So, I am no igmo. I know Halloween is on Oct. 31, but for the past several years folks seem to think we could be observing it on an alternate day — especially when it falls on a weekday as it does this year.

The reason why dates back years, and I had vaguely remembered a time when trick-or-treating got moved from Oct. 31. But it wasn’t until my call to the sheriff that he reminded me of when and why it had happened.

Both Vicksburg and Warren Central High Schools had home games scheduled that year on Halloween. Undoubtedly, just that alone was going to be a mess. I mean, between the traffic and the crowd challenge, the sheriff’s office and police department were going to have their hands full.

And then if you were to add in trick-or-treaters, it would have been a calamity just waiting to happen.

Of course, there was also the dilemma for parents of both little ones and high schoolers. They would have to figure out how to manage both.

Fortunately, all was saved when trick-or-treating got kicked back to Oct. 30.

And it is now, because of that freaky Friday, each year, we ask those in charge, “When are we observing trick-or-treating.”

Well just for the record, I refuse to put myself in a nightmarish situation like that again. There is no way I will be making a call to Martin or anyone else for that matter in local law enforcement as to when trick-or-treating will commence.

From here on out, I am going to presume it will be held on Oct. 31, Halloween night. And if for some reason I get tricked and it gets changed, just know for anyone who comes knocking on my door, they won’t get treats.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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