Lost Mountain Halloween

Each Halloween we look forward to trick-or-treating in Middleburg, Virginia. The town’s Community Center hosts a party for the children, and afterward hundreds of ghosts, goblins, super heroes and other frightening creatures take to the town’s streets to collect sweet treats and ride the hay wagon. This year, for the first time, I gave Cameron free rein to go with his classmates (and a couple of fathers who followed along, just in case). Instead, I spent the evening giving out candy and not observing all the taking.

My headquarters was the Lost Mountain Graphics office building, where I spend my working days in Middleburg. Joy and I purchased candy, decorated the entrance and set out chairs for us and our friends, Christy and Dorsey, who joined the fun. We had amassed more than 700 pieces of candy, but gradually as the groups of trick-or-treaters kept coming, I realized we were going to run out if we kept giving them two pieces each. So, as darkness fell, we carefully doled out the coveted M&Ms, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Twix chocolate bars. Just when the clock struck 8 p.m. we gave out our last pieces and turned out the lights. A few older trick-or-treaters still roamed the streets, but our time was up, and we all returned home having great memories of the many smiles and chocolate-covered faces we helped to create tonight.