Thumbs up to all those who hosted Halloween events and took children trick-or-treating for the holiday last week, taking part in an enjoyable American cultural celebration that helps to brighten a progressively darkening autumn. A wide variety of offerings were available this year, for those who simply want to celebrate the end of the season, to those whose tastes tend toward the macabre: Various harvest festivals were enjoyed, OOB365 found success with its haunted hayride, and Sanford had a festive Parks and Recreation parade and a haunted house hosted by the Elks, among other area events.
Trick-or-treating is also a treasured memory for most children and a joyful event that helps bring communities together, and we hope to see it continue for generations to come.
Thumbs down to the closure of Joyful Harvest Neighborhood Center in Biddeford, which has announced that it will no longer be open to children after the end of the year. The center, a faith-based operation that offers a safe place for children after school, has struggled in recent years to find consistent funding and was unable to secure enough donations to remain in operation. Places like Joyful are in short supply, which is a shame since many parents are unable to provide appropriate options for their children in the hours when they are away at work. The center is in a neighborhood where 35 percent of children live below the poverty level, and the results are not likely to be positive for these childrens’ futures unless another agency or organization can step in to help.
Thumbs down to the criminal charges against the two Sanford High School seniors who left a gift-wrapped sex toy as a prank outside the door of the Massabesic High School athletic director’s office in advance of a football game played Oct. 26. It’s unfortunate that a harmless high school prank now rises to the level of a misdemeanor charge for disorderly conduct, when past generations considered it nothing more than a rite of passage. School discipline is in order for violation of school rules, which is to be expected when one pulls a prank and is caught, but no damage or harm was done in this instance, and we feel it’s an overreaction to charge these young people with a crime. The tensions over this particular football game were high, as it was postponed a day due to rumors of a threat against students, so the authorities were on heightened alert. These youth should have known that their prank would be taken more seriously than intended due to the situation at hand, but while it was perhaps poor judgment to carry it out, we don’t feel it was criminal.
Thumbs up to the residents of the upper Kimball Street neighborhood in Sanford who are advocating for the city to address speeding in the area. When problems arise, it is appropriate for the citizens to petition the city for a resolution, and we’re glad to see these neighbors get involved in the process to slow down traffic on this residential street before a tragedy occurs. Speeding has gotten so bad in the upper portion of the street, according to neighbors, that it’s unsafe for children to play or walk anywhere near the road. By making the city aware of their concerns, these residents have put the ball in the council’s hands, and we hope to see the city leaders develop a reasonable and affordable way to address speeding not only in this area, but in other problem areas of the city.
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Thumbnails is a Monday feature of the Journal Tribune’s opinion pages. If you want to respond, feel free to write to the Readers’ Forum via email at jtcommunity@journaltribune.com or by dropping your letter off at our Biddeford office.
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