Halloween hot spots

That’s the dilemma facing residents who live in local trick-or-treat hot spots.

Kids who live in Vermont’s rural communities want to be where they can amass a candy stash as quickly and effortlessly as possible on Halloween night. Rather than trick-or-treat in rural neighborhoods, where homes may be hundreds of yards apart, most descend on village centers.

In Stowe and in Morrisville, the most popular places for trick-or-treating share a name: Maple Street.

Residents in both neighborhoods say they hand out treats to 500 or more kids on a typical Halloween.

To help with the cost, the Stowe Recreation Department has a candy drop where residents can donate a bag of candy. The candy is distributed to Maple Street residents just before Halloween.

“People will stock up with 10 or 15 bags and be finished within a matter of hours,” said Jessica Viens, an administrative assistant at the recreation department. “It’s definitely a hot spot for trick-or-treaters in Stowe. They come in droves.”

This year, the recreation staff stepped up its efforts by going door-to-door on Maple Street to hand out flyers and ask residents if they wanted to sign up to receive donated candy.

Last year, 100 bags of candy were donated; on Monday, 70 bags had already been donated and more residents than last year had signed up to receive candy.

In Morrisville, there’s a candy collection box at the municipal offices and at the Price Chopper and Hannaford supermarkets.

Jan Gorham has lived on Maple Street in Stowe for seven years and enjoys the Halloween festivities.

“We don’t think it’s stressful, but it certainly can get hectic,” Gorham said. “There are times when I’m on my knees fishing out candy and I don’t get to stand up because there’s a constant stream of kids. We probably go through two 10-gallon buckets.”

Gorham says she buys the bulk of the candy she hands out, but appreciates the donations she receives from the local candy drop.

She looks forward to watching trick-or-treaters parade up to her door, even if it gets overwhelming at times.

“My youngest child is 14 so I enjoy seeing younger families in town and younger kids who enjoy it,” Gorham said.

Joan Joslin has lived on upper Maple Street since 1972 and says it’s become busier over the years. The number of trick-or-treaters she greets depends on where the police park their cruisers. If the police park above her house, kids come in droves. If they park below it, kids mostly stay away.

“We get quite a few kids,” Joslin said. “Lots of times, the little kids come before the streetlights come on.”

On a typical Halloween night, she and her husband give out treats for four and a half hours.

“It’s fun to see how the kids are dressed,” Joslin said.  “Some parents wait at the end of the driveway; some parents walk up to the door dressed up.”

Halloween night brings just as many trick-or-treaters to Maple Street in Morrisville, which is closed to traffic for a few hours to keep kids and their parents safe.

On Sunday, Stowe Free Library Director Stephanie Chase will celebrate her fourth Halloween living there.

“I let myself buy 500 pieces of candy and everyone gets one and then I turn off the lights,” Chase said. “Every year, I’ve seen at least 500 kids.”

Trick-or-treaters start arriving at 4:45, which is “way too early,” Chase said.

She blocks her door so her family can eat dinner before starting to hand out candy at 5 p.m.

“Last year, I turned off the light at 7:10,” Chase said. “I don’t think I’ve every handed out candy past 8 o’clock.”

Chase looks forward to seeing her neighborhood transformed into a hub of activity and fun as she greets trick-or-treaters on her front porch.

“It’s great to see the little kids,” Chase said. “A lot of parents dress up, too, so it’s a lot of fun. And then there are the middle schoolers who come dressed as themselves.”

But, she says, there can be a downside to living in a trick-or-treat hotspot.

“A lot of my neighbors turn off their lights and go somewhere else to avoid having kids walk all over their lawns,” Chase said. “It’s a fun, party atmosphere, but it can be a burden to people who live on the street.”