Many of us came of age just after somebody put cyanide in our Tylenol and rumors flew of pins in our Snickers bars and razor blades in our apples. (Those rumors, by the way, of bogeymen intent on slicing open the mouths of small children they don’t even know have been around since at least the 1950s, according to Snopes.com. There have been a handful of incidents, but no one has been seriously injured.)

In any case, it put a serious damper on trick-or-treating in the early 1980s and many cities and towns cancelled it altogether for a few years. The upside: a huge rise in community Halloween events at shopping malls, schools, community centers, museums, zoos — basically anywhere you might find families and kids.

We’ve got a great list on page 31 of the bigger events in the area and even more on MNParent.com. But I think my family will head to our neighborhood’s local event in the high school for some old-fashioned apple bobbing, donut munching, and community building. Not so much for the certified-safe treats, but for the friends, fun, and the warm-up my little fairy princess and Diego are sure to require that evening.

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