Newtown1031@yahoo Serves As Sounding Board For Halloween Committee

By Kendra Bobowick

Homeowners along Main Street who turn on porch lights in welcome on All Hollow’s Eve are asked to contact Newtown1031@yahoo.com, and offer their thoughts about how volunteers might help them this October. Newtown’s trick-or-treating traditions may receive a boost as resident Chuck Stofko, who also intends to organize a parade committee, now seeks input from Main Street residents who annually make Halloween a cornucopia of treats, frights, and fun from one house to another.

“The purpose is to build a consensus and the one thing I am asking is to let the people of Main Street know that I seek their emails,” he said. Mr Stofko hopes to then create a mailing list and survey the residents.

Also on his agenda is last week’s appeal to the public. He proposed forming a volunteer Halloween Committee to bolster both financial and safety efforts on Main Street, and asks to hear from anyone who has an interest in helping.

“This is to show gratitude and make it easier for [Main Street residents] to participate,” Mr Stofko said. Main Street residents can give him a hint about how best to help, he explained.

“I want the people of Main Street to answer the question of what they want a committee to focus on,” he said. “They’re the ones that make this event and their voice is most important.”

With the hopes of recruiting Big Y’s support, Mr Stofko has contacted store personnel to discuss potential sponsorship programs, for example.

Following his intentions to form a committee were concerns about even larger crowds out after dusk that evening. Last year’s count numbered roughly 2,000 trick-or-treaters, which did not include adults.

Mr Stofko stressed that he is not trying to crowd the Main Street events.

“Woe to me if I try to take control, I just want to give Main Street a voice and make it easier,” he said.

Simply, he hopes that he will receive emails and addresses and be able to survey the residents’ needs.

“I don’t know how this will evolve; the first step is getting the email out there, getting people to identify themselves so we can start communicating.”

Each year the Main Street strip transforms into a daydream for candy lovers and children in search of a scare. Admittedly, the price of keeping up with last year’s count of roughly 2,000 goblins, devils, and zombies, not including adults, is excessive. During a previous conversation Brid Craddock said she likes to give away goodies to each visitor, and had indicated that hundreds of dollars and multiple trips to Big Y are necessary.

Concurring with her story is resident and 13-year Halloween veteran Saba Fiala. She and her husband Joe have a name for the festivities that begin around 4 pm and can last until about 9 pm.

“My husband calls it ‘Kiddy Mardi Gras’ and it really is,” she said. Ms Fiala is aware that Mr Stofko is trying to organize a committee to help the residents who each year will try to keep up with the growing number of children ringing their doorbells.

She said, “It would be nice to have help. There is such a volume of children.” She and her husband have kept count and received 1,800 costumed trick-or-treaters last year.

She remembers, “The first year we just kept running to the store.”

Despite the high demand for attention coming from the children, the Fialas “love it,” she said. “We have an open house for our friends…” Ms Fiala also noted, “It would be wonderfully helpful to get some candy.”

Homeowners inundated with “monsters” big and small are asked to email Newtown1031@yahoo.com to contact Mr Stofko. Residents interested in participating on a Halloween Committee are also asked to get in touch with him.