Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The Barrett Halloween Parade
Not really sure why the slide show (below) took so long to put together. I would love to say that the quality of the sound recording and editing took that much time, but you wouldn't buy it. A week later than planned, here is the Barrett Halloween 2007 slide show.
The parade started in the basketball courts in the back yard of the K.W. Barrett Elementary School, wound down N. Park then N. George Mason drives. The line of young’uns turned right immediately onto N. Henderson Road. They entered the Culpepper Gardens property by the main gate on N. Henderson, then snaked through the building and out through the back door (the same one used on election day). They walked back to the school along N. Henderson and entered through the front doors. Police were on-hand to stop traffic along the route.
I must say that I much prefer this Halloween parade to the F. Scott Key Elementary School parade. In that parade (my daughter attended Key during kindergarten and first grade) the kids snaked through the Courthouse neighborhood, stopping at about 20 or more retail spaces to collect treats. Halloween in Arlington, as you know, can often be a hot prospect, and the hills in Courthouse are rather large for five year olds. An hour later, when that parade was over, I and the kids were hot and tired.
A mother on the Barrett parade route this year said she would not mind a Key-school-style parade if that were the only candy the kids were getting, if they would not then head out All Hallows Eve to grab candy from the neighbors.
I imagine that’s why they do it at Key. It is a Title 1 school, like Barrett, and half the school speaks Spanish as a first language at home. For a good number of those students, the Key school parade might be the only candy they get. It is nearly impossible in some apartment complexes to go Trick-or-Treating.
If we did not have friends who let our kids carpet bag in their neighborhood (Bluemont) every year, we would only go to about four doors in Arlington Oaks. Of course, Buckinghamsters can head to Ballston Mall on Halloween, and Lubber Run Community Center always has some sort of celebration.
By the way, my two children raked in nine pounds of candy. Eeeeeef. Dear Bluemonters, my children and my dentist thank you.
As with other slide shows on this site, the sound and images have been rearranged.
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