So....laws against trick or treating for older kids. I guess I'm torn over this one--I'd like to think that the older kids should have their chance at the candy grab.
OTOH, I remember what my friends and I got up to when I was young and see the point of regulation.
www.knpr.org
Adults sometimes grumble about Halloween — the annual festival that brings hordes of kids to front doors, decked out in cute costumes and dreaming of handfuls of candy.
But when are kids too old to go trick-or-treating? In some U.S. towns, it's illegal for teenagers (and of course, adults) to indulge in the sweetest part of Halloween. That's not to say there's a consensus: even the towns that impose age limits don't agree on the "proper" age for trick or treaters.
In one famous example, Chesapeake, Va., until recently had a 1970s law on the books threatening any teen caught trick-or-treating with up to six months in jail.
The city changed the law after a massive backlash. But its statute still says kids over 14 who trick-or-treat are guilty of a misdemeanor.
Other towns have similar laws, from Jacksonville, Ill., to Rayne, La., both of which bar kids who are 13 or older from trick-or-treating.
In Belleville, Ill., a law on "Halloween Solicitation" forbids anyone above eighth grade from going trick-or-treating. The city also requires anyone over 12 years old to get "permission of the Mayor or Chief of Police" if they want to wear a mask or disguise on days other than Halloween.
Many city ordinances also impose time limits on the sugar hijinks, demanding that kids stop asking for treats by 7:30, 8 or 9 p.m. In Taft, Texas, for instance, trick-or-treaters can only operate from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
"The practice of persons in previous years on Halloween night in roving all over the city late at night has become ... undesirable," places a burden on the police department and creates "an intolerable situation," the city said in its law.
OTOH, I remember what my friends and I got up to when I was young and see the point of regulation.
No candy for you. Some towns ban older kids from trick-or-treating on Halloween
When are kids too old to go trick-or-treating? In some U.S. towns, it's illegal for teenagers to indulge in the sweetest part of Halloween – one even threatened jail time.
www.knpr.org
Adults sometimes grumble about Halloween — the annual festival that brings hordes of kids to front doors, decked out in cute costumes and dreaming of handfuls of candy.
But when are kids too old to go trick-or-treating? In some U.S. towns, it's illegal for teenagers (and of course, adults) to indulge in the sweetest part of Halloween. That's not to say there's a consensus: even the towns that impose age limits don't agree on the "proper" age for trick or treaters.
In one famous example, Chesapeake, Va., until recently had a 1970s law on the books threatening any teen caught trick-or-treating with up to six months in jail.
The city changed the law after a massive backlash. But its statute still says kids over 14 who trick-or-treat are guilty of a misdemeanor.
Other towns have similar laws, from Jacksonville, Ill., to Rayne, La., both of which bar kids who are 13 or older from trick-or-treating.
In Belleville, Ill., a law on "Halloween Solicitation" forbids anyone above eighth grade from going trick-or-treating. The city also requires anyone over 12 years old to get "permission of the Mayor or Chief of Police" if they want to wear a mask or disguise on days other than Halloween.
Many city ordinances also impose time limits on the sugar hijinks, demanding that kids stop asking for treats by 7:30, 8 or 9 p.m. In Taft, Texas, for instance, trick-or-treaters can only operate from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
"The practice of persons in previous years on Halloween night in roving all over the city late at night has become ... undesirable," places a burden on the police department and creates "an intolerable situation," the city said in its law.
