When is Halloween? Oct. 31

It's time to get those costumes ready and stock up on some candy. Halloween is less than two weeks away!

While Halloween night means big sacks of candy for the kids, it also means some confusion on the part of some parents on just exactly when to send their little Batmans and Cinderellas out for trick-or-treating.

I suspect the confusion comes from the fact that some communities in our region change the date for trick-or-treating when Oct. 31 falls on a Sunday. I think it also comes from the fact that some communities recommend specific hours for trick-or-treating. So when parents of other communities that make no such recommendation can't find the hours for their community, they wonder what it might be.

And then there are just random questions that I field this time of year. A sampling (the first two prompted by last year's stormy Halloween night):

Is Halloween canceled because of the rain? When will Halloween be rescheduled? When did the governor declare the date and times for Halloween this year?

I'm making some broad brushes here because there could be an exception, but communities don't cancel Halloween because of the weather or reschedule it. And the governor makes no declaration on when families celebrate Halloween, though the Executive Mansion in downtown Raleigh generally does dole out candy on Oct. 31. I'm checking the times for this year now. It's usually from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

So with all that said, here's the scoop on many communities across the region. The vast majority makes no recommendation on trick-or-treating hours or when Halloween is celebrated.

Happy Halloween!