Real Halloween back for long traumatized Pa. town
culture, family, tragedy
October 29, 2008, by RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
For 16 years, real horror overshadowed the make-believe terror of Halloween in this Pennsylvania town, where trick-or-treating after dark was banned after an 11-year-old girl was abducted off the street and murdered.
But on Friday, pint-sized witches, princesses and vampires will once again be shuffling from house to house at night, thanks to a petition drive by a fifth-grader.
Elizabeth Roess gathered signatures, wrote an essay outlining her argument, and persuaded City Council two months ago to bring back nighttime trick-or-treating.