When class and work suspension happened because of bad weather conditions, it is pretty normal. But have you ever heard of a holiday like Halloween being rescheduled for the same reason?
It happened in some states in the United States, and it sparked mixed reactions from their citizens.
Concern on Child's Safety
On its official Facebook page, the city of Muncie in Indiana announced the "trick or treating hours" will be moved tomorrow, November 1, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. due to the weather condition.
"We understand that this is difficult for the parents, but our priority is the safety of the children running around wind and rain and snow," the page explained. It also cited some possible scenarios they feared like children getting hit by cars due to poor visibility.
Nelsonville, Ohio also did the same on the same date.
The citizens of the city of Spencer, West Virginia, will experience it much later - on Saturday, November 2, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Hammonton, New Jersey, on the other hand, celebrated it yesterday.
The Unimpressed Citizens
The Facebook announcement received a mixed response, with some of them disliking it.
Kendra Schwartzkopf commented on the announcement of Munie that the suspension should have been made as early as Monday morning so that the parents who filed work leave on Halloween can adjust the date. She called this an "absolute mess".
Cody Cain, who commented on the City of Spencer's announcement, also had the same concern. Parents who have work on the new date will not be able to accompany their children, he said.
In response to Cain, the moderator of the City of Spencer page sarcastically suggested "popping some popcorn and watching Nightmare Before Christmas with the kids" because he would not be able to do anything with the storm anyway.
Jessica Beym, a journalist from NJ.com, said that this "wholesale reordering of the calendar" is unnecessary because nobody suspends Christmas because of a blizzard either. She also said that she has no problem with letting kids run around in the rain because "they are not going to melt". And she's also happy if Halloween will be washed out since it avoids unnecessary and too much candy consumption.
But how bad the weather is?
According to Taylor Ward, resident meteorologist of CNN, a cold front coming from the West was moving across the country. The same front caused the rain and snow experienced on the Eastern Seaboard.
Although the weather is not "trick-or-treating-friendly", the weather is normal for the season. But the weather is expected to be better on Friday and Saturday since the front will push off the shore tonight.
Do you think the action of these states is necessary?