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* From the Consumer Product Safety Commission…
As families across the nation prepare for festive Halloween fun, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding consumers to focus on safety when selecting and creating costumes and home decorations.
Over the past three years, CPSC estimates that an annual average of 3,200 Halloween-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments.
Here’s how the injuries break down:
• 55% were related to pumpkin carving;
• 25% were due to falls while putting up or taking down decorations, tripping on costumes or walking while trick-or-treating;
• 20% of the injuries included lacerations, ingestions and other injuries associated with costumes, pumpkins or decorations, and allergic reactions or rashes.Among the injured, 54 percent were adults 18 years and over, 46 percent were under 18 years old, and about 10 percent of all injuries were to children 6 years old or younger.
Fire safety is important year-round, with special awareness during holiday seasons. A new CPSC report estimates that candles and electrical cords/plugs were associated with an annual average of 5,600 and 1,600 fires, respectively, from 2017 through 2019.
* The Question: Your favorite Halloween memory? Bonus points if you can connect it to Illinois politics.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 1:24 pm
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Previous Post: SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Another supplement to today’s edition and a campaign update
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How about least favorite. Going to a 2016 Halloween party as Donald Trump thinking he would definitely lose. OOps.
Comment by New Day Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 1:39 pm
Bears-Packers, “Soldiers Fields”, 1994, Monday Night Football, foggy, spooky, “election eve”… I was there.
That 94 cycle… ushered in Lee, Pate, arguably the greatest GOP slate ever assembled statewide…
The game… wet, windy, soggy… and a loss
That was a heck of a Halloween.
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 1:46 pm
Mrs. McCormick’s popcorn balls. Wow, I wish I knew how she made them.
Comment by Joshua P. Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 1:46 pm
Bears-Packers game on Halloween 1994 - weather rain… freezing rain…snow. Stayed in seats till the jersey retirements for Bears’ legends Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus. Then enjoyed the concourse to warm up.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:02 pm
Because I grew up further north than Green Bay, most every year I wore the same thing to go trick or treating: some awesome costume that Mom made covered by a winter coat.
Trick or treating got completely snowed out twice. One year we drove into town and ate the candy that grandma would have handed out. The other year, we couldn’t even get off the farm.
That said, it was always my favorite holiday of the year. (Mom’s too, but don’t tell grandma.)
– MrJM
Comment by MisterJayEm Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:06 pm
I went to SIU when they decided to remain open for Halloween after closing down for several years. It was epic!
Comment by SalukinCU Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:09 pm
Favorite memory is those great costumes from Mainway Novelties back in the 70s. Johnny Space Commander, Johnny Human Torch, Invisible Pedestrian. All cancelled by the CPSC, just like my Jarts set.
Comment by Dysfunction Junction Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:18 pm
My son, every year, picking an obscure character from his favorite cartoon so we have to make the costume from scratch instead of buying one.
Comment by Consultant101 Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:20 pm
I wouldn’t characterize these as my favorite memories, but they both include Blago.
I took my 7 year old son trick or treating. We lived in Blago’s neighborhood and so we made a stop at his place. This was before he was arrested, but everyone knew it was coming. My son was dressed as a SWAT team member and when he walked up to Rod for candy, Rod jumped up, threw his hands in the air and asked my son if he was here to arrest him.
Another year I was hanging out at a neighbor’s house and he had a zip line from his attic to a tree on the other side of the sidewalk and his son was up there sending down a ghoul or something like that down on the zip line so it would look like it was flying down from the sky right towards whoever the mark was on the sidewalk. Well we saw Rod and his entourage walking down the block and so my friend had his son ready the ghoul. As soon as Rod got close enough, down flew this ghoul right at him. Rod jumped and his security detail reached for their guns. Then when Rod realized what it was, he looked at my neighbor telling him “that was good, that was really good. You really got me”
Comment by Henry Francis Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:26 pm
There was a guy in my neighborhood when I was a kid who worked for Hostess. He gave out the old Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs, etc. We’d come back to his door as many times as we could before he either ran out of supply or recognized us as repeat trick-or-treaters and ran us off.
Mmmm, Twinkies. Those were good times. Also had a lady who made the best home made popcorn balls. Can you imagine giving out home made treats today?
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:44 pm
The one political one I have is the time we lived in Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago and got a tricker treater who turned out to be our ward democratic chairperson. He was actually a likeable guy.
Our former alderperson, here in Berwyn, usually came around on Halloween now with his family, hoping the new one does, too.
Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 2:58 pm
Probably the time I went to a friend’s Hallowe’en party with half my face painted silver and the other half gold (stage make-up, not actual paint), and half my hair gold and the other half silver.
Then I got home and realized that I had to wash it all off before I went to bed. Longest shower and shampoo ever.
Comment by JoanP Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 3:04 pm
Getting to knock doors for candidates on Halloween rather than for candy. You can’t stop when Election Day is a week away right! Voters don’t love to see ya on the 31st.
Comment by Lakefront Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 3:13 pm
Walking around a small town on a cold night, taking the kids trick or treating, and getting refills for my glass at several friend’s houses.
Comment by RNUG Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 4:00 pm
As a university student, either ‘78 or ‘79. After work had 2 parties to go to, a regular Halloween party and a toga party. Did a quick change from black cat to Roman in between, at best friend’s centrally-located dorm room.
I get tired thinking about this now.
Illinois connections: The parties were not in Illinois, but following a classy response to a wardrobe malfunction during Party 2, I accepted another invitation from my Halloween date, who took me to Beatlemania at the Blackstone a couple weeks later. Also, the best friend and I just had a reunion in Marion.
Comment by yinn Wednesday, Oct 26, 22 @ 6:46 pm