{"id":18982,"date":"2011-11-01T18:10:19","date_gmt":"2011-11-01T22:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bronxink.org\/?p=18982"},"modified":"2011-11-03T09:58:05","modified_gmt":"2011-11-03T13:58:05","slug":"halloween-in-hunts-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bronxink.org\/2011\/11\/01\/18982-halloween-in-hunts-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Halloween in Hunts Point"},"content":{"rendered":"

Southern Boulevard in Hunts Point was packed with hyper little fairies, monsters and clowns yesterday as children held out bags to local businesses yelling \u201cTrick-or-Treat!\u201d with eager faces waiting to see which candy would drop in.<\/p>\n

Employees of local cell phone shops, clothing stores, and bodegas stood outside their stores\u2019 entrances with large bags of candy, waiting for trick-or-treaters to come by. \u201cWe bought 40 bags of candy today,\u201d said Jose Pinero, 28, who works at Forever clothing store. \u201cWe\u2019ve been waiting for the kids all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the kids did not disappoint. They dragged parents and older siblings down the sidewalk, past policemen stationed on every block, eager to fill plastic pumpkin-shaped baskets full of treats. \u201cI\u2019ve handed candy to at least 400 kids already today,\u201d said Dayton Turnquest, 24, of Ricky\u2019s Super Store. \u201cSome of these kids don\u2019t have a lot of good things going on, so it\u2019s nice to make them smile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parents also appreciate the efforts by business owners. Candace William, 31, of Hunts Point, will only shop at stores that hand out candy on Halloween. She thinks the least businesses can do is give local kids some candy on Halloween.<\/p>\n

In Hunts Point, it\u2019s important that stores hand out candy, especially since many residents don\u2019t feel comfortable trick-or-treating at residences. \u201cNo one goes door-to- door anymore,\u201d said Mariceli Villanueva, 37, who held tight to her nine-year-old son (he was wearing a mask). \u201cI wouldn\u2019t take my son to a house I didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just 10 years ago, Ivan Martinez, 28, loved to ask for candy at houses and see his neighbors. He now feels like people are so transient that he has no idea who his neighbors are.\u00a0 \u201cThings have changed,\u201d he said, boarding a bus to a neighborhood north of Hunts Point with his wife and three kids. \u201cEverything felt safer then.\u201d<\/p>\n

And some businesses benefit from the increased visibility on Halloween. Dominic Torres reminded parents, \u201cThis candy came from the Underground,\u201d as he handed lollipops to the kids bought by the sportswear store he works for.<\/p>\n

One business on Southern Boulevard, the shopping center of Hunts Point, thrives on Halloween. \u201cWe practically sold out of kids\u2019 costumes this year,\u201d said Mayko Matos, 19, manager of Ricky\u2019s Super Store. \u201cThis is one of our biggest times of the year.\u201d He added that the best-selling girls costume of 2011 was Jesse from Toy Story and little boys overwhelmingly went for Captain America.<\/p>\n\n\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t