The Neighborhood Sign Goes Up!

An annual neighborhood tradition continued yesterday morning.

Going on my seventh year as official "Neighborhood Keeper of the Sign," I installed the somewhat-official trick-or-treat announcement sign.

Our neighborhood has a wonderful Halloween tradition in that we ALWAYS celebrate trick-or-treat on October 31st. Rain or shine. Even when the rest of the city has their various scheduled times on the Saturday or Sunday before Halloween. I still don't understand why they have to complicate things?

Back in 2011, I stepped up to create the above sign when the previous keeper's sign became old, faded and then vandalized. In 2010, a small temporary sign was created but I wanted to make one that screamed out the trick-or-treat announcement. So with some great vintage clip art, Halloween fonts, a projector and some paint, Mrs. Highbury and I created one worthy of the High Holiday.

Seven years on, it's looking a bit rough and might need some touch-up paint, but it is once-again placed at the top of the neighborhood, announcing the grand celebration for all.

And even after seven years, I look at the sign when I drive in and out of the neighborhood, and every time I still get a big smile...


Halloween is coming.

  

  

The Neighborhood Sign Goes Up!

Two weeks to go, haunters! That means it's time to perform my annual duty of putting up the "official" neighborhood sign! Trick-or-Treat. October 31. 6-8 pm.

Since 2011, I have "inherited" the title of Keeper of the Sign. It was then that after years of impatiently waiting to see the official trick-or-treat announcement sign go up in our neighborhood that I decided to take matters into my own hands. There was a lull during the 2010 season and a small, handmade cardboard sign was hastily thrown up at the last minute. 

I knew that I couldn't let this continue, so I decided to create a larger, more easily readable, more Halloween inspired sign. For 2011, I hand-painted the sign above and proudly staked it into the patch of grass that leads down into our neighborhood. With this new sign, our neighborhood would continue to buck the city's trend of having trick-or-treat on the Saturday before Halloween, leading to the nightmarish confusion of each neighborhood setting up their own times. 

It's a confusion that still goes on today, and after some discussion among some of the neighborhood residents, it was decided that we would continue to celebrate trick-or-treat on Halloween night, regardless of what night it fell on. For one, I get to reuse the sign I made six years ago, and more importantly, our neighborhood will continue to carry on its long-standing tradition of Halloween night that we get to celebrate with the rest of the city.

For me, it's a win-win!

And after six years of being exposed to the October elements, the sign is still holding up fairly well. A few touch ups here and there and it should last for another couple of years, when just maybe, it might be finally time for me to retire as Keeper of the Sign and allow someone else with a passion for all things Halloween to step up and create the next sign that will carry our neighborhood tradition into the next generation!

  

The Neighborhood Sign Goes Up

7:00 am and it's 46 degrees, cold, rainy and miserable. A perfect morning to go right back to bed, but I had a job to do. I pulled myself out of the comfortable warmth of my bed and layered up.

I made my way to the garage and grabbed all my necessary tools to complete today's task: putting up the neighborhood trick-or-treat sign! As official keeper (and creator) of the sign, it's my yearly duty to place it at the entrance to the neighborhood, informing everyone of this year's trick-or-treat time. 6-8 pm. October 31st. Always. 

Our fantastic neighborhood has a long-standing tradition of keeping trick-or-treat on Halloween night, regardless of the day it falls on and regardless of what the geniuses of City Council try and schedule for this year... 5-7 pm on Saturday? No thank you.

This site is beautified by the Merriman Hills Garden Club. And Highbury Cemetery.

And because of the fact that it always seems to rain constantly when the sign goes up, it looks to have another year or two at most before it's time for a new sign. But for now, I'll drive slowly into my neighborhood each time, admiring that familiar vintage ghost and haunted house graphic, and then panicking in realizing that Halloween is so close!

It's also about time for me to start looking cautiously at the upcoming weather report for Halloween night. For the past 4 or 5 years, it has only led to disappointment, as we have had rain on Halloween night, so I think that we are long overdue for a break from Mother Nature.

It's still just over a week away and I know that the forecast will change at least 6 or 7 more times, but so far, so good. Fingers crossed that it stays this good...

  

The Neighborhood Sign Goes Up

Each Halloween, I put up the sign that announces the official trick-or-treat time for our neighborhood (October 31, as it should be...). It was another nice day today, so I decided that it was time for the sign to go up.

I created this hand-painted sign a few years back and it is showing some age after the previous seasons of cold and rain (and then spending the rest of the year in my garage). It should hold up for another year before it's time to make some repairs.

But for now, the neighborhood trick-or-treat is set! Time to get ready!!

Halloween Weather Forecast Update: 

A slight improvement, but I'll take it. Fingers crossed that it will continue to improve toward a dry Halloween night!

  

The Neighborhood Sign Goes Up

After a quick touch up from last year's rain damage, my Trick-or-Treat sign took its rightful place today, at the top of the neighborhood. We're keeping the tradition going, bucking the trend of all other surrounding neighborhoods having their trick-or-treat this Saturday. 

For over 12 years running, our neighborhood will again be having our trick-or-treat on Friday, October 31. Halloween night!

The countdown is on!!


And it's time to check that weather forecast...

Party sunny, becoming cloudy   53˚/40˚   4% chance of precipitation

An acceptable outlook, but I'm still going to be keeping my fingers crossed, desperately hoping that it doesn't rain. Only 8 days to go!!

 

Trick-or Treat vs. Football

If there's one thing about Northern Ohioans, it's that we love our sports teams. Pro, college and yes, even high school. A fact that I didn't even think about until reading a story in the Akron Beacon Journal entitled, Area Mayors Tackle Debate On Halloween, written by Kathy Antoniotti.

My heart sank as I read through the story. Local area mayors have begun weighing in on this year's trick-or-treat festivities, and some have decided to change the time to the following day, November 1, so that it won't interfere with Friday night high school football games...

Every year I read that local officials are tinkering with their trick-or-treat times. Changing it to the Saturday before Halloween or blocking off ridiculous times like 4-6 pm. And now we have to change it again so that we can go enjoy our most-beloved high school football games.

You can probably guess my stance on the subject (c'mon, you ARE reading this in a HALLOWEN blog!), but my real concern comes from the fact that for the past 4 years, I have been the "Keeper of the Sign," the one who possesses the official neighborhood Trick-or-Treat sign that lets everyone in the area know when our Trick-or-Treat will be held. And for the past 4 years, as well as the 9 years before that, the neighborhood Trick-or-Treat has always been on Halloween night: October 31, from 6 to 8 pm, regardless of what day of the week it falls upon. I now have to step back and think about this new concern when putting up the sign for this year. For the past two years, we have been hampered by rain with one year having to be rescheduled. I really don't want to have to reschedule again. 

Personally, I think Trick-or-Treat should always been on the 31st. It is a tradition in our neighborhood, even as other parts of the city continue to tinker with (and water down) Halloween. At this point, I'm going to keep it as is. October 31. But I will start to talk to some of the neighbors to get their opinions on the matter, as I don't want to get anyone all up in arms.


So what do you think? Keep it on the 31st or change it to November 1st? Drop a comment below and let's get a non-inflammatory dialog going on the subject.


 

The Neighborhood Trick-Or-Treat Sign, 2013

Less than two weeks to go until the big night, so it's my civic duty to inform the residents of my neighborhood of the date and time for trick-or-treat! 

As a neighborhood, we have always done our own thing and celebrated trick-or-treat on October 31, regardless of what the city plans (they have been very good lately at making different areas have different dates and times and causing mass confusion).

Three years ago, I "inherited" the position of Official Trick-Or-Treat Sign Creator and Overseer after the previous position-holder's sign had been vandalized and removed, leaving some doubt as to whom should pick up the duty for the following year. A temporary sign was made, but failed to elicit the enthusiasm necessary for a holiday of this magnitude...

So I decided to step in. A new sign was made and installed with great response. 2013 marks the third year of its usage, and while Mother Nature has done her best annually to pummel it, the sign continues to hold up nicely (aside from a few chips that will need some touch-up paint).

This morning I made my way up to the top of the neighborhood and installed the sign in it's annual place of prominence...

...right beside the all-important "Drive 25" safety sign.

And of course 30 minutes after the sign went up, the rains came down. Do your best, Mother Nature, but dammit, give me the 31st. That's all I ask!

 

My Neighborhood Halloween Sign Goes Up!

Neither long hours at work nor crabby wife nor even crying baby can deter me from my mission tonight! Two weeks until the big night means only one thing: the neighborhood sign proclaiming the official date and time of trick-or-treat must go up!

And because we are a traditional neighborhood, we keep up with tradition. Trick-or-treat is, as always, October 31st, from 6 to 8 pm (no matter how much City Council wants to further erode the holiday by assigning different days and times for different neighborhoods...3 to 6 pm? Really??).

This is the second year for my version of the official neighborhood sign, a job I took over after 2010's tepid effort. And a job I was more than willing to take on, for this is a project that I do not take lightly. I just hope that the sight of this sign tomorrow morning will excite the neighborhood kids as much as it excites me...

Two weeks to go and a full list still to get through. The clock is ticking!

Two Weeks To Go...

Two weeks to go until the big night and it looks like things are starting to come together here at the Cemetery. Yesterday, Mrs. Highbury did a dry run on this year's new witch makeup.  A new nose and chin prosthetic and some makeup to blend it all together. She'll also be using her zombie contacts from last year...

I think the children will be sufficiently frightened. And now that we have this down, we'll be doing the same makeup application to the two other witches in our coven this weekend. Whether they like it or not...

Also, the Trick-or-Treat sign has gone up at the top of the neighborhood, proclaiming the official date of our annual event. It's been up for a day and it hasn't been stolen or vandalized yet, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. A bigger challenge looms in the forecast for the rest of the week, as it's supposed to rain for the next three days. Hopefully the paint will seal the wood enough to make it through the next 14 long days.

And it's amazing that this sign is 4 feet by 2 feet in size. I thought it might be too big for the street, but it looks a bit small driving by. But I don't want to overdo it...

Compared to last year's version:

2011 Neighborhood Sign

So last year at this time, I became ever more impatient, waiting for the neighborhood sign to go up, announcing that Trick-or-Treat will again be on October 31, from 6 to 8 pm (like it should be!). One week from the big day, I was disappointed with the sign that was put up and made a desperate plea to the signmaker and/or overseer.

This year, I have decided to take matters into my own hands. With a quick Google search and a stroll through my font collection, I have decided to create a neighborhood sign worthy of the greatest holiday of the year. A sign that can be clearly seen as you come into the neighborhood. A sign that says, "this neighborhood does Halloween right!"

I present the new 2011 neighborhood sign. It will be going up Sunday night, so that:

a) people have time to prepare

b) my sign will be up before someone else's

Selfish, I know, but the word around the neighborhood is that anybody can put up a sign for Halloween. There is no one person who is in charge of it. Until now...

Finally!

So at this time every year, I (im)patiently wait for the annual sign to appear at the head of our neighborhood, not unlike the Great Pumpkin rising from the pumpkin patch, to signal the date and time that all the children can go forth in costume to get their Halloween candy. And every year I wonder why the sign hasn't been posted yet, with a mere two weeks until Halloween. 

Well, I can worry no more, as the sign has finally appeared, letting children and haunters alike know that, yes, just like every year, Trick or Treat will again be on October 31st, from 6 to 8 pm (as it should be, but I'll save that rant for another post). Of course the children will be out from 5 to 9, and that is just perfect by me!

Although this year, there has been a slight change. Usually, a familiar large wooden sign shaped like a jack-o-lantern with its faded lettering is posted at the head of the neighborhood. This year, I was greeted uncaringly with this:

Orange cardboard with a black tar lettering and glitter? What happened to the large jack-o-lantern that announced boldly that Halloween is near!?! This looks more like a sign thrown together for a weekend garage sale. Has the ritual of Halloween been reduced to a garage sale afterthought?? What makes matters worse is its scale. Here is what you see when you drive into our neighborhood:

Lost among the mums and neighbors blowing leaves.

Now I know I may be going a little overboard in my criticism, but it seems like this could have been done much, much better. And this is where I make my plea. If, by some small chance of coincidence that you read this post and are the individual who created this sign or know the person who did, please forward this message on. First, I would like to thank you for taking the time to create this sign. I sincerely applaud you for your efforts. But, as a professional graphic designer AND lover of Halloween, I would like to create a new sign for next year. I will donate all materials and time to create a sign that will once again boldly proclaim that the magical season is again upon us and stir up excitement in all who pass by. Please come see me on Halloween night, as I'd love to discuss my ideas. You'll know which house is mine. Just follow the screams...

So we now know that our Trick or Treat is Sunday, October 31st, which means it's time to again check the weather report.

8 days until Halloween: 53 degrees and sunny with 0% chance of rain.