8 pm seems a bit harsh. I know that a lot of things happen on this night, but it seems that for one night the police could spend their time out for the kids, and the town could support additional police force to do so. They should be able to atleast stay out till 9 or 10, how many years does it fall on a weekend, and for even the young kids this is an exciting night to be able to get extra candy without having to worry about school. BOO NO FUN!

I absolutely agree - 8pm!?!? This is rediculous. I am all for law and order and trying to keep things under control but gimme a break. This is Draconian. My kids are older teenagers (14 - 20) and to tell them they can't walk the streets of their own town after 8pm is insane. Surely 9pm or 9:30pm wouldn't hurt anyone. Also - there are plenty of parents of younger children who commute out from NYC and who don't even get home until after 7 or 7:30pm. Are they not allowed to take their children trick or treating after 8pm? Or is this only under 18 if not accompanied by a parent?

As a commuting parent who doesn't get home until 7 or later, I protest.

I like "the group of more than five on the street" I guess one of my grandsons will have to stay away from the rest of us, tonight!!!! :}

I don't understand what terrible things have happened in our town and village to warrant such an early curfew. Are we assuming that most of our children are inherently bad and therefore must be kept inside by 8pm or they'll run amuck? Are we declaring martial law? It's supposed to be a fun time for our kids!

You know - the silly thing is this. Ok - maybe someone gets some egg or toilet paper on their property. Yes it's a nuisence and I don't condone it, but it isn't permanent property damage. Has there really been THAT big of problem in the past? I haven't seen or heard evidence of it. Do we REALLY need to react by stripping ALL other kids of their ability to enjoy their Halloween on streets that WE pay our taxes for? Come on! So you have to patrol a little more to keep an eye on things.

Unbelieveable!

The problem is that lazy and irresponsible parents bring TRUCKLOADS of kids to Homeland and Idlewild Park area instead of Trick or Treating in THEIR OWN neighborhoods (where they belong). And quite honestly, if I were a homeowner in Idlewild I would be MOST annoyed at the interlopers. When we were growing up here you trick or treated in your own neighborhood. If you lived on a back road you went with a friend from town. And from the perfectly selfish point of view; I had only 8 trick or treaters, and I personally enjoy scaring the beets out of the little buggers when they come to the door. Where is MY fun in this stupid curfew, eh?

I am writing this after the fact. Halloween went out without a hitch. It was great. I took my son to the neighborhood that we used to live on Avenue A. All of the neighbors know that this is the most popular spot and are totally prepared for the masses. They look forward to the crowd from other areas. It makes it more festive with so many kids. I love the village. It was a perfect place for my children to grow up. Although I feel that the curfew was a bit harsh, better safe than sorry!

With so many comments posted concerning the curfew, I thought it might be helpful to have some history on this issue. I have lived at Homeland Ave and Pine Street for 36 years and it is our area of the Village that is mostly responsible for the curfew. In the late 80?s and early 90?s, our Halloween experience was something you may not be aware of. Word would go out in the high school to meet in Homeland. Well, they did. We had hundreds of teenagers in the street. They came with eggs, shaving cream, toilet paper, etc. and they ran everywhere from the town and village police. The young children were intimidated and sometimes knocked down, our homes and cars were damaged and it was out of control. Many of our police officers can attest to this. Since the curfew was put in place in 1995, we have a completely different situation. On Friday night we had approximately 500 trick-or-treaters and it was great fun! The children were polite and friendly and a credit to the homes they come from. Our neighbors do a Halloween scene with lights and music and everyone enjoys it. They counted this year and had 570 children. We know that some are from out of town. We arent't complaining. Actually, two of my neighbors commented to me on Thursday that maybe the curfew was too early. Well, they came back to me on the weekend and said, ? The 8 PM curfew is perfect!? So, please understand our situation and, next year, come to Homeland. We have an enjoyable evening with the curfew in place. Thanks, Barbara Gosda

But Barbara, My point is that families that live in other neighborhoods would also like to enjoy the Halloween fun. I had 8 trick or treaters. So what do I do? not bother to buy candy, not decorate? drag my family out to another neighborhood where I don't know anyone? I can't host in some else's 'hood. I dunno. I think there are enough area neighborhoods where people can enjoy themselves and share in the fun without having to export to another area.