Halloween Musings

Halloween has always held a special place in my heart, coming in third on my favorite holidays list (behind Thanksgiving and Pride, obvi). I don’t think I have ever not dressed up in my life. It’s become ultra-important to me to express myself through a costume, especially in front of my child, and hopefully I am a living example showing him he can truly be whatever he wants to be. So, there’s that.

When we moved to Nyack we spent a few years trick-or-treating with a toddler. Good times sure, but WHY DIDN’T ANY OF YOU TELL ME ABOUT CASTLE HEIGHTS SOONER?!

If you don’t know, the street called Castle Heights and some of North Broadway are closed to cars on Halloween night. Now that may sound like kids take over and it’s absolute mayhem, and I guess it is, but when I attended last year for the first time, it was hands down my favorite night in Nyack ever.

Joe, Scott, and Joe’s mother cloaked on Halloween night, 2022.

We moved here for lots of reasons, and sure, I guess community was one, but I realized that it wasn’t until we moved here that I had any idea what that word meant. Now that I do, I can tell you it’s a feeling. It’s not a place, it’s not a service project, and it’s certainly not something that’s easy to come by. It was Halloween night walking down the street with my “coffee” cup and seeing what seemed like every person who has ever entered the cheese shop or Creative Arts Workshop (also with their “coffee” cups) feeling as joyful as we were. That was the exact moment I knew what community was.

Even six years in, our village continues to surprise me. Not in like a “boo” way, more like dumping out a sack of Halloween candy and finding all those full size candy bars we got last year. It’s more of a “boo, and we love you like a giant snickers bar.”

So get yourself over to Castle Heights this Halloween. We’ll see you there!

xoxo,
Scott