The Willow Glen Resident

Lincoln Avenue merchants brace for trick-or-treaters

Each year hundreds of costumed kids overtake the street in search of treats

By Deborah Taylor-Hollis

What started as a means to keep area kids safe on Halloween has ballooned into a yearly event in which hundreds of kids from all over San Jose are shipped in to take candy from Lincoln Avenue merchants. This Oct. 31 costumed kids will come out in force again. As usual, the merchants are prepared, but some are asking, "When is enough enough?"

"It's not an event we actually produce; it just sort of happens," said Kathy McDonald, president of the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association. "We try not to promote it because it's very expensive for the merchants and pretty much stops business for the day." She also mentioned the ever-increasing numbers of children involved. "We have groups that come in from other areas; there's no way all those kids could be from Willow Glen," she said.

McDonald says that children cruise Lincoln between Minnesota and Coe avenues. The affair usually goes on all day, she said.

The huge numbers of children now participating have created problems for local businesses, according to some participants.

"It doesn't help our business at all; it hinders it because customers can't park. It was never meant for kids from other school areas. They come in from everywhere, all over San Jose, and it's gotten out of hand," Joe Reinke, owner of Victoria's Theatrical Supply, said. "A lot of people have vented about how much of a bummer it is. I helped found it, and it was Willow Glen Elementary and [the children from] a couple of day-care centers [who] used to come. It was fun. Now, I have to pay two persons to hand out candy, plus the candy. We still support the event, but not how big it is. If it was just Willow Glen and the preschools, it would last 30 to 40 minutes, and it would be fun."

Dave Machado, manager of Home Savings and Loan and a local parent, remembers going out with his children years ago. "As a parent, I used to look forward to it because of the safety factor, the feeling of community involvement. You'd see your neighbors and friends. It was a win-win situation for everyone," he said.

Machado is also a board member of the WGBPA, and although a hearty supporter of the annual trick-or-treat, he hears about many of the problems it can cause. "It can be disruptive for businesses, and some stores say that the $300 to $400 for candy is a financial burden for the mom-and-pop stores."

Most retailers asked said they support the idea behind the event, however. "It's important for business to give back to the community. It shows we care," Machado said.

Other merchants said the trick-or-treaters don't impact them at all.

"It's a nice event, a nice idea, but it's gotten very big," Lynette Clark, co-owner of the Daisy Patch, said. "It doesn't affect our business one way or the other."

The WGBPA has not promoted the event in more than five years and is currently taking suggestions on how to curb the number of participants. The association also encourages smaller stores to "team up" at distribution points to free up employees and cut overall candy costs. Suggestions have been made to limit future trick-or-treaters to morning and early afternoon hours, not only to curb the influx of older children, but also to address safety concerns. Bill Shaheen of Willow Glen Liquors, another firm supporter of the Halloween affair, said, "It's a nice thing to do. It gives back to the community, [but] it can be unsafe [to cross streets] in the afternoon and should be limited because of the commute traffic."

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