I remember going trick or treating as a child when the lady down the street from my grandmother's house always gave out Rice Krispies treats wrapped in saran wrap with a nickel pressed into the bottom.

Mom would never let us eat the Rice Krispies treat because she said you never knew what could be in it. Likely smart, but being a kid, I didn't quite understand why I was left holding the sticky nickel while that treat and countless pieces of partially unwrapped candies were sorted out and into the garbage.

Of course, this was in the '70s and '80s when the bad people had just made the news by putting sewing needles in Tootsie Rolls and you had to start being careful about those semi-unwrapped candies because they were potentially unwrapped by some child-hating monster who may have done something bad to your treats.

We used to have trick or treat at night then, and actually on Halloween. Even though Bay View celebrates night time trick or treat, it is the Saturday before Halloween and not on actual Halloween, which the child in me still finds somewhat disappointing. Although I am thrilled that my neighbors have at least resurrected the night-time aspect.

I don't remember there being too many smashed pumpkins back when I was a kid, but I think I was more concerned about filling a bag with M&M's and Twix bars than checking the streets for squashed squash.

Last year several of our pumpkins made their way from the yard stairs to the center of our street at the hands of pumpkin smashing vandals. There's little more disappointing to a child than seeing his hard-fought carved pumpkin lying flat and oozy on the pavement. Except perhaps seeing mommy and daddy sort through the candy and toss a good portion of it for safety's sake.

I still love Halloween, but I must admit I wish the kids these days wouldn't have to worry so much about what a few crazy adults did and do to ruin a kids' candy run. To this day I doubt that 70-something Rice Krispies lady was doing anything to our treats, but my mother wasn't going to let her kid be the first to find out. Sad we have to worry about that kind of thing, isn't it?