Halloween

Does it seem to you that there are more Halloween effigies this year, more ghosts and witches and pumpkins in neighborhood front yards than in past years? Good. It shows that common sense still resists the strictures of our would-be moral tutors.Halloween tutors come in several varieties. Some say Halloween has no place in public life because it is associated with the Christian feast of All Saints (or All Hallows). A more numerous group says just the opposite: that Halloween should be quashed because it gives offense to right religion through its use of pagan symbols such as witches and ghosts.

The time has arrived for one of our nation's most visible displays of democracy in action. No, not Election Day. I mean Halloween. Each year, as October draws to a close, I get excited. My days as a trick-or-treater are long over; my young children now fill that role. But Halloween in our neighborhood is a big deal. At dusk, the children in their costumes flood our decorated block. The autumn air crackles with their energy and enthusiasm, creating a festive atmosphere. And yet I see something more going on - something to do with us as Americans.

BECAUSE we were so poor, it simply never occurred to any one of us to even think about a store-bought Halloween costume. So with all the excitement of that spooky night pending, we rummaged through the attic and closets and came up with a unique mishmash of disguises.My twin sister was to be a sailor, with Uncle Paulie's pea jacket hanging down to her shoelaces. And my other sister was a ghost, flitting about in a carefully trimmed threadbare sheet with black shoe polish circling two large cutout holes through which she could peer up the dark streets.

Some registered sex offenders in Anne Arundel County will be under surveillance on Halloween, police said. The Sex Offense Unit of the county's Criminal Investigations Division will use undercover detectives and patrol officers to ensure that certain registered sex offenders are not taking part in Halloween festivities, the police department said Saturday in a statement. The Maryland Division of Parole and Probation has identified specific offenders who are not allowed to have contact with children, police said.

It's the most frightening time of the year: Halloween is upon us again. Whether you dress up for a night on the town or turn out the lights to avoid trick-or-treaters, the Book Bag has you covered. Scaring up a good read will be the least of your worries. "Hypothermia" by Arnaldur Indridason Picador, $15 Arnaldur Indridason continues his Inspector Erlendur series here with a foray into the supernatural for the Reykjavik detective. Maria, a historian, has invited her friend, Karen, to use her country house for the weekend.

We're looking for "high-concept" Halloween costumes - ones that are more abstract than literal. Dressing like a "Freudian slip" or as "static cling," for instance, takes a bit more imagination than going as an M&M. Think more in terms of ideas or states of mind than the usual ghosts, goblins and politicians. The most clever costumes will be considered for inclusion in an article in The Sun's Modern Life section. E-mail jpg photos - with your name, phone number and a brief explanation of your costume - to sun.features@baltsun.

Police and administrators in the county's three towns are asking ghosts, goblins and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to take to the county's streets during limited hours on Thursday for Halloween trick-or-treating.* Aberdeen: 6 to 8 p.m.* Bel Air: 5 to 9 p.m.* Havre de Grace: 6 to 8 p.m. Havre de Grace will hold its annual Halloween parade through downtown at 7 p.m. Wednesday.NOTE: Hours for trick-or-treating in areas outside the municipalities vary between neighborhood.Safety tipsPolice provided the following safety tips for trick-or-treaters and their parents:* Parents should accompany small children and provide flashlights to older children.

WASHINGTON -- It's the Halloween season again, bringing with it a growing ''family values'' struggle over the commercial and social implications of not only pint-sized goblins wandering the streets with candy bags but all those masked adult revelers as well.It's a wonder Dan Quayle hasn't discovered this one.The cultural wars found Halloween a few years ago and elevated what used to be simple fun into a holiday complicated by intense psycho-babble, religious messages and moralistic posturing.

The calendar only says Oct. 1, but Halloween is coming, and it's never too early to start thinking about a costume.The folks in the know at the Home Sewing Association have polled pattern makers, fabric retailers and others in the industry to come up with the top 10 costume categories for this year. They are: Austin Powers and mod fashions from the late '60s and early '70s.Characters from "Star Wars."Anything involving Pokemon.Elizabethan and Renaissance looks.Tarzan and Jane costumes.Batman and other superheroes.