Little Savannah Hosts Halloween Event

By Flynn Bush

There is a custom that was started a long time ago for Halloween. It is one that ensures the safety of children on this sometimes dubious evening, and any parent will tell you that this is their number one concern for their children while trick-or-treating. In Savannah, there is a neighborhood that puts those fears to rest.

Ms. Heather Bodden explained the origins of the event by stating, “It began almost 30 years ago when my sister Robin Hartmann threw a small Halloween party for the surrounding neighborhood kids.” This year, Jayson Avenue was the place to be, so to speak, and was visited by a multitude of children with their parents and guardians. “It has now grown to over 1,000 children coming from every district throughout the island” Ms. Bodden elaborated.

Now, normally when a child goes trick-or-treating in a neighborhood there are houses that have their lights on and the homeowners are ready and waiting to hand out candy. The children can get their fill of cavity-inducing sweet treats in a short time. On Jayson Avenue, there was the usual candy give-outs as well; but there was also so much more. At designated houses, there was food ranging from popcorn to hotdogs to pizza. So, adults could also get their hunger squelched. Plus, it helped prevent the visitors, both children and adults, from partaking of too much sugar because of hunger in the moment.

When speaking to Ms. Heather Bodden prior to the evening, she summed up the event nicely as, “The Sav-New Community Group together with friends, family, and neighbors all come together in a subdivision that’s safe and secure to host the event.” Thus, thousands of kids, and their parents, over the years have benefitted greatly.

On this night, there were lots of individuals that proclaimed themselves repeat visitors. There were also some who were able to experience this spectacle for the first time. Regardless of what group they fell into, everyone seemed to be having a great time and they were very appreciative. Everyone seemed to have a smile on their faces; even those who were supposed to be sporting ghoulish stares.

Overall, this was a great example of the community spirit that still exists in Cayman. There are people who still care about their fellow residents. There are those among us who like to give back, and who feel it is important to keep children safe while providing entertaining and fun activities. Kudos must be given to all those persons who played a part in this event, whether by organizing, hosting, or simply being present to ensure that it ran smoothly. It must also be mentioned that the RCIPS played an important role as the community officers were on hand to help with parking, crowd control, and to keep the general peace. It was a very worthwhile occasion, indeed.