File Photo
One of the most original costumes last year was this Shake and Bake design.
Jim Fair
The White House Salon traditionally decorates for each season and is a lucrative stop when children trick and treat in downtown Greer.
Jim Fair
The La Bouteille Biergarten has its own spooky courtyard at The Depot.
The annual candy fest, which appears to be doubling each year, officially begins at 5 – 8 p.m.
Unofficially, it’s when the children appear all dressed up with little hands grabbing a fistful of candy, or what the merchants allow.
Colt Davis, owner/operator of the White House Salon, has made weekly purchases of candy. “We figure if we go out each week and purchase a big bag of candy it doesn’t seem as big a cost,” Davis said.
One merchant said he spent hundreds of dollars for candy last year – obviously a popular stop, sometimes more than once for tricksters.
The biggest tricksters on Halloween treks are the parents. One survey states 72 percent of parents say they steal Halloween candy from their kids.
Here are some Halloween nibbles:
• Trade Street from Poinsett Street to the railroad tracks will be closed 3:30-8:30 p.m.
• Popular costumes: Pokémon players, superheroes, comic book characters, Star Wars, Scooby Doo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ariel from The Little Mermaid and animal costumes and typical witches and vampires.
• $8.38 Billion – Projected Halloween-related spending in 2016 ($3.14 billion on costumes).
• $547.9 Million – Halloween candy sales (fourth biggest candy-selling holiday).
Safety tips
• Parents should map out a well-lit trick-or-treating route in advance of Halloween and accompany kids on the journey. All the streets you visit should have a sidewalk or safe walking area. If you will be trick-or-treating after sundown, stick to costumes that are brightly colored or reflective.
• Travel in groups with other friends and family, and remember to skip houses with the porch light off – that’s a signal that these homes are not welcoming trick-or-treaters.
• When you get back home, parents should inspect candy right away before letting kids dig into their stash.