By Khalida Sarwari
Flaunting creative costumes of every stripe, hundreds of children and their families descended upon Big Basin Way on Halloween Day to collect candy from shopkeepers as part of the city’s annual Witchy Walk-A-Bout.
The Saratoga Village Development Council’s Jill Hunter even spotted Saratoga High School principal Paul Robinson, dressed in a Falcon costume, strolling with his family. Hunter heads the SVDC, which sponsors and organizes the event every year.
“The array of costumes was fantastic, but my favorite was the young girl dressed like a dandelion with a full head of seed blowing in the breeze,” she said.
The former councilwoman and mayor even took part in the festivities, handing out around 800 pieces of candy by her own count in front of Agnes Boutique. She said she found the children “incredibly polite.”
“I was truly touched by their smiles and friendliness,” said Hunter.
When they weren’t busy tricking merchants and treating themselves with candy, the children were having fun getting their faces painted and arms stamped with tattoos by members of the Saratoga Youth Commission.
Witchy Walk-A-Bout is Saratoga’s annual Halloween event for the community’s younger children. The event was started more than a decade ago to give local kids an opportunity to go trick-or-treating during the day.
