If you confront a real ghost on the road in McHenry this Halloween, even if it’s frightening, it’s probably nothing to worry about. But we don’t often see real ghosts roaming on the streets of town. Therefore, if you see a ghost this Halloween, just to be safe, assume it is a child dressed in a costume for the holiday.

Halloween is a favorite holiday for children in McHenry. They get to dress up in scary outfits and go door to door collecting candy. There are pumpkins to carve and houses to decorate. 

Some may go to the Haunted Hayride 7 to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Oct. 12-13 and 19-20 at Petersen Park that benefits the Wonder Lake Water Ski team. But that’s generally for older kids who are up to that level of spooky. The little ghouls and goblins, however, will wait with bated breath for the actual day of Halloween.  

When Monday, Oct. 31, comes around, and the real Halloween, it’s an evening made for little kids. And, not surprisingly, they’re pretty excited about it. Their focus is on going from door to door and getting all that candy. About the last thing they’re thinking about is watching out for traffic.

Hopefully, adults are focused on exactly that – watching for traffic and making sure the children are safe. But little vampires and princesses can prove a slippery lot. Even with a parent’s best efforts, for just a moment, a little Spiderman can get away. If that pirate escapes mom’s grip for an instance, who’s to say the young one won’t run into the street.

They’re thinking about the candy they’ll get at the houses on the other side of the street and they can’t wait to get there. They don’t fully appreciate the danger of running into traffic. That’s why it’s up to drivers to be cautious for the sake of Trick-or-Treaters. 

Driving on Halloween comes with additional responsibility. Lives are hanging in the balance. 

Drive with caution. Keep your head on a swivel. You want to anticipate when a child may run into the road. You don’t want to be surprised. You want to be prepared.

Maybe you don’t dress up for Halloween anymore. But if you have, or had, little children, you know what this day is like. It’s fun. You don’t want to spoil the fun with a tragedy that will last long after the holiday is over, and all the costumes are back in the attics. 

Halloween in McHenry is a very special holiday and lots of fun. Maybe you’ll even go to an adult costume party to celebrate. Just remember, you have it in your power to help make this a safe and spooky event children and parents will both look back on fondly.