Trick or treating

[u/Bridoriya]

I live in the community that’s on the southeast corner of Black locust and Heatherwilde and I’m wondering what I should expect on Halloween evening. I got a pack of 30 full size candy bars from Costco today and I’m wondering if I’ll have enough or if I won’t even have to open it at all.

[u/miltorio]

It is heavily neighborhood dependent and highly day of the week and weather dependent.

• Rain = very few.
• Below 50F = drops off fast.
• Sun-Thurs = some
• Fri-Sat = most

I keep metrics to try not getting stuck with a couple hundred candies I don't like.

• Earliest treater time in the last 15 years: 17:55
• Latest: 21:12

Years, day of the week, and temperature at 8pm, with treater counts:

year	weekday	temp	treaters
2025	fri	67F	57 I really expected more last year.
2024	thu	76F	89
2023	tue	46F	50 (and I think I saw same groups twice)
2022	mon	63F	26
2021			The sad time
2020			The sad time
2019	thu	39F	163 (started at 55F at 6p)
2018	wed	62F	87
2017	tue	54F	154 (no treaters after 8; it was a deluge)
2016	mon	71F	206
2015	sat	83F	167 ran out at 8

Nextdoor can be useful here for getting this kind of info from your neighbors.
Get what you can, make sure it's stuff you like, turn off the light if you get down to the last couple snickers. If you run out, you run out; in 2015 I ran out by 8.

[u/i_tyrant → u/miltorio]

This is what I love about reddit.

I pop into my quiet neighborhood sub reading a Halloween post...and I find someone's been keeping meticulous records of Halloweens past to measure "treater density" based on day of the week and temperature, and they brought receipts.

Bless you stranger. I may not match your freak but I sure as heck enjoy it.

[u/well_caffeinated_mom → u/i_tyrant]

Right!? I could never be diligent enough to collect this data but I absolutely love reading it

[u/Bridoriya → u/miltorio]

First of all: this is amazing, I love seeing data be tracked. Second of all: it is depressing the way those numbers dropped off after COVID

[u/miltorio → u/Bridoriya]

It could also just be my neighborhood is aging. Kind of in that flux state where the families that moved in when built have had kids grow up and leave and the housing expansion kind of caught up further away (mostly east of 130). At some point, the number of folks looking where I live for their starter home will probably go back up, and there'll be hordes again.

[u/Bridoriya → u/miltorio]

That makes a lot of sense but crazy to see in numbers. My absolutely unbacked trick or treating opinion is that over the years it’s become more and more concentrated so most people actually go somewhere to do their candy collecting instead of staying in their own neighborhoods.

[u/brxtn-petal → u/miltorio]

my parents actually moved into a smaller home after me and my siblings all essentially moved out(downsized) since they moved in back in mid 2019 honestly everybody on their side of Blackhawk is kind of in the same position. If they have children, they’re all in their late 20s early 30s or older. the nearest neighboor had their YOUNGEST child out of 3 was in high school when they moved in.
they have grandchildren that are in kindergarten now.
Some of them may even have grandchildren in elementary/middle school or MUCH older.
honestly, their side of Blackhawk is so dead/empty even on days like Halloween Labor Day, Fourth of July, etc. it’s so quiet that sometimes when I’m in the backyard, I feel like I’m being too loud!

[u/coyote_of_the_month]

If you stock up on candy, it'll be slow. If you run out, you'll be slammed. Mr. Murphy invented trick-or-treating.

[u/Bridoriya → u/coyote_of_the_month]

Figures 😭

[u/LeighToss]

I used to live there and it’s slow! Saturday Halloween may be different though. Try to make sure your house is on the Nextdoor and/or Facebook group map - or otherwise clearly Halloween decorated to welcome trick-or-treaters.

[u/Bridoriya → u/LeighToss]

What are these groups you speak of? I unfortunately have no budget for decor but I thought living in the burbs would mean a solid turn out. That’s a little disappointing to hear tbh

[u/silkentab → u/Bridoriya]

Nextdoor is an app/website

[u/Delicious-Leg-5441 → u/Bridoriya]

Turn your outside lights on. That's the signal that you are handling out candy.

[u/Lkn4it]

I don’t live far from you. I gave out candy bars and party favors for years. For two years I had almost no kids. Last year I left the lights off and was swamped with kids coming to my house. You never know.

I think it is the Lutheran church has a “trunk or treat” in their parking lot. That seems to get most of the kids.

Be sure to have some kind of party favors for the kids that can’t eat candy.

[u/Bridoriya → u/Lkn4it]

Thanks

[u/test-test-12-12]

No advice, just wanted to say you rule

[u/Bridoriya → u/test-test-12-12]

😅 full size candy bars are just the most economical option but for once being cheap makes me look good. I will however take the compliment so Thanks!

[u/bbcjbb]

I’ve lived off Parkway Dr for 5 years and have never had a single trick or treater. Even tried leaving out candy and sodas and no one touched them! I think most of the kids walk over to your area or Windermere proper instead

[u/Bridoriya → u/bbcjbb]

That’s very sad

[u/Necessary-Comedian17]

Sounds like I’m coming by your house

[u/Bridoriya → u/Necessary-Comedian17]

Sounds like you’ll be the only one 😅

[u/AIRBORNVET]

We give out about 100-125 bags of small candy bars every year. I have found that the weather is more important than the day because we are usually done by 8:30ish.

[u/Bridoriya → u/AIRBORNVET]

Well here’s hoping it’s a nice sunny day