“We thought it was best to stay in conjunction with New Carlisle and Donnelsville,” Bethel Twp. Trustee Don Minton said.
Bethel Township residents wanted trick-or-treat changed back to Saturday, like it has been for several years, Township Coordinator Ray Nelson said.
Tonya Campbell, a Park Layne resident, said she collected signatures to change the date and presented them at the trustee meeting.
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“The majority of the people wanted to keep it on Saturday,” Campbell said.
Nancy Brown was the dissenting vote with Don Minton and Dave Phares voting for the date change.
“Her (Nancy Brown) reasoning was that the Ohio Revised Code does not give them the authority to do that, everything we do is handled or covered by the Ohio Revised Code” Nelson said. “That was her reasoning, it didn’t say we could change it, they had the authority to change it.”
Bethel Township includes Park Layne, Medway, and Crystal Lakes.
Other Clark County communities that have changed trick-or-treating back to Saturday, Oct. 26 are New Carlisle, Donnelsville, and Tremont City. Enon discussed the date change at a city council meeting, but voted to keep trick-or-treat on Halloween. Pike Township’s trick-or-treat will remain on Halloween as well.
READ: What Clark County parents are saying about the Beggar’s Night date change
The Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post on Aug. 30 that Beggar’s Night this year would be on Halloween, a change from it being held on the Saturday before Halloween.
“I thought she (the Clark County Sheriff) did it for a reason” Nelson said. “It just seems like the Sheriff is the one that changes it for reasons they feel is best for the community.”
In a Facebook post responding to criticism of the change, Sheriff Deb Burchett said trick-or-treating was ultimately moved in order to, “keep consistent with neighboring communities.”
“We understand that many people have historically planned their Halloween events following Beggar’s night being held during the weekend,” the Sheriff’s Office statement says. “We also have heard from just as many people thanking us and letting us know they appreciate the date being moved.”
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