Hey Toms River, NJ! Let’s Break Tradition, We NEED to Move Trick or Treat to October 31

It's time that Toms River and parts of Ocean County fix a longtime wrong... they need to fix the plans for trick or treating in the area.

Toms River Hosts Trick or Treating on October 30

The tradition for Toms River (plus South Toms River, Beachwood, and Pine Beach) says that trick or treating takes place the day before Halloween because of Toms River's insanely large parade.

Essentially, it is how it's always been — as long as the parade takes place on Halloween.

However, should Toms River and Beachwood keep trick-or-treating on Halloween night instead?

I say yes!

I grew up in Beachwood, so when I was a kid: we always went trick or treating on October 30 and it seemed useless.

Why Do Toms River & The Surrounding Towns Trick or Treat on October 30?

The Toms River Fire Company #1 has prided itself on hosting one of the largest Halloween parades in the world every year on Halloween night. Some sources have called it the second largest in the world.

Though, parade attendance has certainly seemed to dwindle a bit in recent years.

No matter what -- many local youth groups participate in the parade. This includes school marching bands, local scouting troops, and more that participate in the annual event.

OPTIONS: Move the Toms River Parade Date or Make Attendance Optional?

I think there are two options for Toms River (and the surrounding towns).

OPTION 1 - The parade date should be moved to October 30 (or November 1). It has happened on those dates in some years due to scheduling issues. Why not make it permanent?

OPTION 2 -  If the parade stays on October 31, then don't force anyone to attend or participate in the parade. Make it simple for everyone in the area:

Teams and organizations that participate in the parade, should have an optional policy. So if parents choose to send their kids trick or treating instead of participating in the parade, that should be OK.

I think I may be alone in this idea, though. I suspect this won't change anytime soon.