Aromas turns Halloween into a block party for all
Halloween is a big day for the little town of Aromas. It’s kind
of like our version of Mardi Gras.
It’s a day for kids to get dressed up in costume … and adults
as well. I’ll never forget the year I saw a 7-foot-tall SpongeBob
Squarepants walking down the street.
Aromas turns Halloween into a block party for all
Halloween is a big day for the little town of Aromas. It’s kind of like our version of Mardi Gras.
It’s a day for kids to get dressed up in costume … and adults as well. I’ll never forget the year I saw a 7-foot-tall SpongeBob Squarepants walking down the street.
Many homeowners come up with elaborate decorations for their yards, from intricately carved pumpkins to cardboard tombstones. They have twinkling orange lights, stuff that makes spooky noises, and spiderwebs galore. Best of all is the fact that just about everyone gets into the spirit of the thing.
And the trick-or-treaters are an imaginative lot as well. Last year, I saw parents dressed as werewolves and gypsies, dogs done up as frankfurters and superheroes, and even a tiny baby in a cow costume.
This, of course, in addition to hundreds of kids running around in their various getups, bags in hand.
Over at our little stores, Marshall’s and Old Firehouse Market, the proprietors hand out goodies to all comers. Sometimes people put together haunted houses or haunted barns. The soccer club hosts a massive barbecue, where people can sit around, eat and talk, and watch the parade of trick-or-treaters go by.
And others, like me, just sit around and watch the crowds go by.
Halloween in Aromas is like a giant block party, one that I’ve been going to for the past 17 years.
For the first 12 of those, I was one of the moms out there following my kids around. With flashlight in hand and sturdy shoes on my feet, I followed them as they entered haunted entryways and courtyards.
There are a lot of wonderful memories. There was the year that it rained, luckily after they’d been trick-or-treating for about 40 minutes. There have been all the costumes, both store-bought and homemade. And the traditional dumping of the bags at home, separating the candy into piles based on desirability, and the inevitable trading.
During the days when my older one was a Power Ranger and my younger one was a clown with a bright red nose, my presence was mandatory. In fact, Son No. 2 needed me right next to him for a couple of years, since no way was he going up to those scary doors by himself.
Then, they entered the phase where they wanted me to go with them, but not so closely that anyone would know I was with them. It just wasn’t cool to be seen with your mom. I did my best to fade into the background.
Not that long ago, they decided they didn’t want me at all.
Now, my oldest does his own thing on Halloween, typically in Santa Cruz, where it’s something of a citywide holiday on Oct. 31. Last year he dressed up as a girl. This year, who knows?
My youngest wants to stay in Aromas for Halloween, so he can hang with his posse, and obviously doesn’t want me around. Surprise, surprise. He’s going as an obscure videogame character that makes sense only to others who play that game.
So now Halloween is a night when I get to do what I want to do, after I drop the younger one off in downtown Aromas. But I have to admit that what I want to do is hang out there … at least for a while.
After all, I have to see if that giant SpongeBob will show up again.
