What age too old to trick-or-treat?

Some Lodi residents say they won't give candy if the trick-or-treaters don't put in the effort. Others say that there is an age at which children should no longer trick-or-treat. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

What age too old to trick-or-treat?

Lodi residents sound off on Halloween's 'freeloaders'

By Amanda Dyer
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 6:50 AM PDT

Comments (40 comment(s))

Tonight hundreds of children will hit the streets of Lodi in search of the house with the "good candy."

When they get there, though, some of Lodi's older youth will find themselves out of luck as candy-givers often have their own opinions on whether or not to give out candy to teenagers in jeans, sweatshirts and, maybe, a ski mask.

Some Lodi residents say that when they open the door on Halloween night they expect costumes and won't give up the goods if the trick-or-treaters don't put in the effort.

Others say that there is an age at which children should stop trick-or-treating, whether they're dressed up or not.

Lodi resident Marie Willers, 50, says kids should stop trick-or-treating when they get to junior high.

"It's for the little guys," she said.

Willers does get the occasional middle-schooler on her doorstep on Halloween night, but they don't get any candy from her.

"We're like, 'Come on guys,'" she said.

Sometimes the kids will call her names as they walk away. She doesn't mind too much as long as they stay away from her car, which she makes sure to park in her garage on Halloween night.

Halloween safety tips

For parents:
• Make sure to accompany younger children.
• Know the route your kids are taking.
• Explain the difference between trick and vandalism.
• Inspect all candy and make sure it has not been tampered with.

For children:
• Remain in familiar areas.
• Watch carefully for cars, as there is a good chance they will not see you.
• Cross the street at marked crosswalks, not between parked cars.
• Avoid houses that are dark.
• Never enter a house for treats.
— Lodi Police Department.

Scott St. Clair, also a Lodi resident, said he doesn't mind if older kids come to his door, as long as they dress up.

St. Clair, 49, helped his friend Scott Huggins decorate his house for Halloween this year. The house features a four-foot-long spider that moves up and down Huggins' roof with the help of a garage door opener, and a headless dummy that squirts blood out of its neck.

St. Clair figures if he's going to go to the trouble of decorating his house, then teenagers should at least show that they put in a little effort when they darken its doorstep.

Otherwise, "They don't get no candy here," St. Clair said.

St. Clair feels that Halloween is a dying holiday. He said that when he was younger, kids were still out trick-or-treating until 10 p.m. Now, he said, the night is over at 8 p.m.

"Most teenagers won't (dress up) because they're too cool," he said.

Staci Davis, 24, shares St. Clair's view.

While Davis feels that kids over the age of 12 years old are probably a little old to be trick-or-treating, she'll still offer them a treat as long as they come in costume.

"If they're not dressed up, then no," Davis said.

Lodi High School junior Troy Wailly, however, will be showing up on doorstops wearing a salt shaker costume.

"People love it," Wailly said. "It doesn't matter how old you are. They love the costume."

Nor will fellow Lodi High student Arlenne Roque, who plans to go door-to-door dressed up as a maid, be stopped.

"You're never too old to trick-or-treat," she said.

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Apparently wrote on Nov 5, 2007 10:15 PM:

" Apparently 16 years, 4 mothns and 11 days is to old to be trick or treating if it means they are going to "find" tear gas and pepper spray and take it to school the next day to spray in a corridor and put 45 people at risk, sending many to the hospital. "

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