In the wake of the excellently classist/racist Dear Prudence letter decrying poors who bring their kids to non-poor neighborhoods on Halloween, I got to thinking:
Hey, whatever happened with Fairmount’s Whiteween? You know, the thing where a Philly neighborhood has two trick-or-treat events: One at a pre-arranged date for insiders (read: our kids) and one for everybody on Halloween (read: since you already gave candy to our kids, you can hide on Commoners Night).
Stories about it here.
Fairmount is on the cusp of North Philly. Some (small) parts of it are continually on edge because of this. And, their Whiteween (not their name for it) fits snugly into that dynamic. Trust me. I lived their for five years and mourned the passing of a teenager who used to hang on my stoop getting murdered by North Philly kids.
Anyway, some Fairmounters deny the existence of Whiteween. I hear their assertions. Even sympathize with their concerns. Nobody likes it when their home ‘hood gets painted as ignorant.
But then again, an eagle-eyed reader sent me this last night. It’s a notice slipped into a Fairmount mailbox. It indicates that Halloween candy will be distributed Sunday afternoon. (Is it the only such notice to be distributed? Maybe*!)
During the Eagles game.
For the benefit of young children.
Young children who can’t go trick-or-treating on a Friday afternoon or night, ostensibly.
Go Fairmount.
*It probably isn’t the only one distributed, of course. And, I know a lot of really good people who live in Fairmount. Some even see this merely as a matter of convenience for parents. So, keep that in mind.