UPDATE: Gloucester Township Is Not Trying to Cancel Halloween

UPDATE:

Mayor David Mayer said Monday he thought this article in Gloucester Township Patch was not accurate for questioning if the municipality was trying to cancel Halloween.

"It's ridiculous, inaccurate and you know it," Mayer said during a brief phone conversation at 3:08 p.m.

Mayer said the municipality is not "prohibiting" children from going door to door to trick or treat.

In a resolution being considered by the council on Monday, the council asked parents within the township to: "Restrict their children's Halloween celebrations to private parties among friends and not permit their children to engage in Trick or Treat activities by going door to door."

Mayer said this resolution is nothing new and that the council has been issuing it since 1998.


ORIGINALLY REPORTED AT 5:40 A.M., NOV. 23

The Gloucester Township Council is scheduled to consider a resolution Monday to "restrict and limit traditional Halloween activities." EDITOR'S NOTE: The request was later determined to be voluntary.

The measure states that children are "exposed to the potential of dangers of harm or injury" by Trick-or-Treating and advocates restricting or limiting activities to "promote and protect the health, safety and welfare of children."

The resolution has some residents seeing red. 

"I was just told that on (Monday's) township council meeting the mayor is going to talk about canceling Halloween," said Heather Rambert in a comment on Gloucester Township Patch. "I plan to show up and protest this decision in any way I am allowed to."

Local officials were not immediately contacted Monday morning for comment. The council will meet at 7:30 p.m. today at the Municipal Hall on Chews Landing Road.