Wednesday, October 29, 1997
Towns cope with Halloween, deer hunters, and
football converge
By KEN ELLSWORTH / Senior Staff Writer
What to do?
Your children want to go trick-or-treating, your high school
is playing football, there's that night-before-the-deer season
hunters' appreciation dinner you always enjoy and there is a good
chance they are all occurring on Halloween night at nearly the
same time.
Because of such conflicts, many area communities have made
scheduling adjustments. In other communities, however, you just
might have to choose between competing activities.
Goldthwaite is one community that has made adjustments. Halloween
was celebrated last weekend. Football is Friday, as usual, and
the annual hunters' barbecue is Saturday night, following a day
of hunting. So, in Goldthwaite, you do not have to miss a thing.
In Abilene, where no Friday high school football games are
scheduled, Wal-Mart officials have decided that Thursday is still
the better evening to hold their Halloween costume contest.
"We think it is better to have it when not so much is
going on," said assistant manager Staci Couvion. "That
way kids can still trick-or-treat Friday and get to wear their
costumes twice."
At the Mall of Abilene, Thursday was picked for Halloween events
but not because of scheduling conflicts.
"Thursday we usually have less traffic than on Friday
night, so it is for the safety of the children that we selected
Thursday," said customer service representative Byron Byers.
In Stephenville, where high school football reigns, a safe
night of trick-or-treating "on the square" will take
place Thursday.
Colorado City's hunters' appreciation dinner is Saturday night,
but trick-or-treaters will start early, at 3 p.m. Friday, with
Around Town Trick-or-Treating downtown in order to allow citizens
time to drive to Kermit for the game.
In Coleman, though, you might have to make a choice. Football,
Halloween, and the annual hunters' dinner are all on the same
night. The dinner, despite conflicts, is supposed to be an especially
large event this year with 1,500 hunters anticipated.
In Ballinger, locals are preparing for 800 hunters to come
to the free appreciation dinner Saturday night. The community
thus avoids a conflict with football. Trick-or-treaters actually
began canvassing neighborhoods Wednesday, apparently to avoid
a conflict with the Friday football game which is out of town.
Comanche welcomes hunters with a chili supper Friday evening
on the south side of the courthouse square, while the football
team plays at home. Trick-or-treaters are encouraged to do their
thing Thursday night because of the increased traffic of football
fans and deer hunters.
In Brown County, Kimmels Meats in Early will host an appreciation
chili dinner for hunters Friday evening. Brownwood plays football
at home that night, but Early travels to Junction.
Hamlin officials are encouraging trick-or-treating be delayed
from Friday to Saturday night because Hamlin's Pied Pipers are
playing out of town Friday.
To help with the Saturday festivities, there will be a community
fall festival from 4-6:30 p.m. at the Church of Christ parking
lot.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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