In the black, crisp, freezing night winds howled and dangling tree limbs reached down and brushed the windows of homes. Outside, there were no ghouls, devils, or vampires to be found. The only eerie noises that could be heard were the clash of the heavy trees smashing to the ground and the winds whispering into the endless nights.
Houses were black and the least bit welcoming. The only light was from the crescent moon floating in the sky. It was Halloween night, but not a single soul was to be found.
This year an unusually, early winter storm roared into Connecticut. The storm which was supposed to arrive later in the day on October 29, 2011 came early and left people in Connecticut astounded and stranded.
Heavy, wet snow fell to the ground and atop the weak branches of trees. Eight inches of perfect snowman snow covered the ground, but the heavy branches were now wrapped around power lines, some even snapped the power lines in half.
One by one, the warm, powered houses were shut off. TV’s were black and phones lingered on their last battery life. The temperatures in houses became colder than the outside weather and little trails of smoke slithered through chimneys. In the distance, some could hear the drumming hum of the lucky few with generators.
Aside from the loss of power there was a bigger concern for the children of Connecticut. With all of the down power lines, trick or treating just was not safe this year, even if it was two days after the storm.
Even when there is power, Halloween is an extremely dangerous holiday. According to ksdk.com, twice as many children are killed on Halloween in pedestrian/car accidents every year during the hours of 4-10 than any other day during the year. With streets being completely black, Winter Storm Albert caused Halloween to be rescheduled.
For Prospect, Mayor Bob decided the safest day to have Halloween was to move it to November 6, almost a week after the actual date of Halloween. By then, snow had melted, most lights were back on, and all possibly dangerous power lines had been removed. The holiday was on a Sunday night now, which meant that most Halloween parties and drivers were off of the road.
For many, unfortunately, moving Halloween a week later just could not keep their holiday spirit alive. Some forgot and some did not participate in the holiday. Venturing through the streets, many youngsters found that the front porch lights were off. If the lights are out, the house is a no- go, which means less candy.
“I usually get 100 pieces, this year I only got 54! But, it’s better than not having Halloween at all,” said seven year old mummy, Samantha Lyndsey. “There’s nothing scarier than having no Halloween at all!”
Although Albert managed to move Halloween from the 31st to the 5th, he was not able to stop the mummies and monsters from trick or treating a week later. They were still able to pick up at least a week supply of candy and dress up in the spookiest costumes they could find. Hopefully next year, early snow storms will not be able to put a damper on the infamous Halloween holiday.
