"If you intend to trick or treat on Mount Vernon, please keep to the sidewalks and, like with all roadways, be cautious as you cross the street by using the proper crossing locations."
Halloween is one of my favorite nights of the year! It is an opportunity for people to come together across our community to do something fun and see one another as friends and neighbors while also revealing something fun about yourself or your family. Additionally, it comes with the added benefit of transforming our community and neighborhoods into a vibrant tapestry of spooky decorations and laughter fostering a sense of belonging for all ages.
I am always thrilled to walk around the neighborhood and see everyone enjoying the holiday in a safe and fun way.
As you prepare to celebrate, please take note that Mount Vernon St. will not be closed for Halloween this year. Lansdale Police have not received any block party requests to shut down any section of Mount Vernon and as such the road will remain open throughout the course of the night like every other street in the borough.
If you intend to trick or treat on Mount Vernon, please keep to the sidewalks and, like with all roadways, be cautious as you cross the street by using the proper crossing locations. Police will be patrolling Mount Vernon more than average due to the street being closed for Halloween in the recent past. This is being done as a precautionary measure to ensure people are not walking down the roadway or in harm’s way.
I know how busy Mount Vernon can be on Halloween. I suspect part of the reason Lansdale Police did not receive any block party requests to shut down the road is due to the extremely high volume of trick or treaters each year putting many who live on Mount Vernon in a difficult financial spot trying to supply hundreds of dollars of candy to such a large volume of people.
I believe (though I cannot know as I was not there) when the road was originally shut down, the residents of Mount Vernon were doing so with the true intention of celebrating the holiday as a block and not with the intention of making it a larger or full community gathering, which it has certainly become and made the event a challenge for the residents going forward.
I understand that some may be frustrated by the roadway being open to traffic. It is my hope that everyone will still be able to enjoy their Halloween despite not being able to walk down a closed roadway and that kids will be able to amass as much candy as their parents are willing to tolerate.
I ask everyone, but especially those on Mount Vernon, to take extra special care as they celebrate Halloween and as they drive through our neighborhoods. If you are trick or treating, please:
· Use flashlights
· Cross the street at crosswalks
· Walk in a group and/or with friends
· Always look both ways before crossing the street
If you are driving around town, please slow down(!!) and be extremely cautious as you drive though. Kids, as we well know, can be unpredictable on exciting nights. As the driver of a vehicle, be aware of all that is going around you!
I like, many of you will be out and about celebrating the evening with my family! Those who know me well, know that my preferred costume is Indiana Jones, although, this year my sons have persuaded me to join in their fun as Red Power Ranger. Please stay safe this Halloween and I hope to see you this Halloween helping to make Lansdale a better place to live, work, and play…and maybe a little spookier for just this one night!
(Mayoral Musings is a weekly op-ed column submitted to North Penn Now, courtesy of Lansdale Borough Mayor Garry Herbert. The views expressed are his own and are not representative of North Penn Now or Lansdale Borough.)
