Jordana Bloom and John Fletcher moved to Main Street seven years ago.

Jordana said last week it had long been a dream to move into the Borough, where Halloween has been a huge attraction for decades. Those who live along the historic 1,200 yards between the four-way intersection of Main and Glover Avenue, South Main Street and Sugar Street, and Main Street and Currituck Road have in recent years reported upwards of 3,000 children at their door during Trick or Treating each October 31.

Residents of three households along Main Street shared some of their thoughts before, during, and after Halloween this week.

Jordana and John were well prepared Monday night.

The owners of “The Balcony House” on the east side of Main Street, the couple purchased 5,500 pieces of candy, and received another 1,000 pieces from donors including Caraluzzi’s Newtown Market, Newtown Parks & Recreation, Newtown Community Center, C.H. Booth Library, and nearby friends and neighbors.

They also went all out once again with decorations, complete with a life-size Headless Horseman atop a skeleton horse, one carved pumpkin atop a post, and similar macabre decorations on the grass and along the balcony that gives their historic home its name.

Jordana and John were joined by two friends when it was time to start handing out candy. For five hours, the group offered candies of multiple varieties, from chocolate and chocolate covered to sugary creations. Jordana had large plastic cauldrons on a table in front of her home, and invited children to select what they preferred.

“We gave out over 6,200 pieces of candy,” Jordana said this week. “We tried to be generous, so it was two or three pieces at least per person.”

While the couple did not count each person who made the short walk from the sidewalk along Main Street to their front door, “we think probably between parents, kids and others, 3,500-4,000 people,” she said.

“That’s not scientific,” she cautioned. “The candy we had to start — 6,500-plus — was accurate, and we had two bags left.”

Being just two doors south of the flagpole, the couple feel they have a vantage point for events like Halloween.

“We had the best time!” Jordana said. “This was one of the busiest Halloweens in the seven years we have been on Main Street.”

32 Main Street

One door to the south, the first Trick or Treaters also arrived right around 4 pm. The front yard of 32 Main Street was set up in a Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory theme, complete with a walk-through immersive experience re-creating the boat ride scene from the movies.

Indoors, Robin Lynch and her family were putting the final touches on their costumes. Just like the movie magic the family was celebrating, once make-up, wigs, and hats were in place, Robin, Jason and Charly were suddenly transformed into Violet Beauregard, Willy Wonka, and the cutest Oompa Loompa around.

Robin’s father and stepmother also dressed up, but did not continue the Willy Wonka theme. Instead, Charles Lynch was an elderly man and his wife Jean wore make-up reminiscent of a Day of the Dead calavera.

By 4:15 a steady stream of children was arriving at the door, and the Lynches were ready.

At least a dozen bags of candy were piled in the dining room just off the front hallway. On a side table just inside the front door, where Trick or Treaters arrived for well over four hours, buckets of candy were on a side table. One teal pumpkin filled with small toys was also ready for some of the evening’s visitors.

“If someone comes to the door with a teal pumpkin, you have to offer them something from this bucket,” Robin told her father.

Small toys and other non-candy offerings filled the bucket, ready for children with food allergies or diabetes who still wanted to enjoy Trick or Treating.

She explained The Teal Pumpkin Project to him, while more children arrived at the Dutch door that faces Main Street. Daughter Charly began handing treats over the lower half of the door, while Robin made sure her father understood the new task.

“When did Halloween get so complicated?” Charles asked.

“It’s not complicated. It’s just making sure everyone gets treats,” Robin told her father.

Robin told The Newtown Bee that she knew “about 12 people who I personally connected with who were already participating” in The Teal Pumpkin Project. Her neighbors the Blooms were among those making sure all children would have something waiting for them when they arrived and called out “Trick or Treat!”

“Parents and children with life-threatening allergies or diabetes definitely appreciate the options available for children to be included,” Robin said.

Meanwhile, Charly waved to many passing children, catching the attention of a few who were looking at the decorations in her yard. She was having fun handing out candy with her grandparents, but also looking forward to being on the other side of the door, doing her own Trick or Treating.

“We handed out more than 4,000-5,000 pieces of candy at one or two per kid,” Robin said Wednesday morning. “We had our last round of Trick or Treaters around 8:40.”

While princesses and superheroes “reigned supreme,” Robin said, “awkward inflatable dinos” also caught her attention on Monday.

“I was a blueberry but had no intention of walking down Main inflated,” she added.

The most unique costume she spotted was a child in a UFO, she said (pictured in today’s edition on Page A11), and “Mirabel from Encanto made my heart happy over and over!”

Costumes of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, aviators in general, or Top Gun, were plentiful among the early crowd. Video game characters including Mario and Luigi, masks from the Purge film series, and the standard cheerleaders, soldiers, and cowboys were all spotted during the early hours of Monday’s holiday outing.

The First Halloween

Meanwhile, about a quarter mile north, on the western side of Main Street, Jen and Frank Culkin were celebrating their first Halloween within the Borough. Traffic in front of their home was very slow, often at a standstill, by mid-afternoon.

Costumed children began arriving around 3:30, Frank said Wednesday morning, and continued arriving for just under five hours.

“We have 2,500 pieces of candy,” Jen said around 5 o’clock. “Do you think that will be enough?”

It turns out that was plenty.

“It was a blast,” Frank said Wednesday morning. “We had a lot of fun with it.”

Their new neighbors had sufficiently prepped the Culkins for the onslaught of children, and the new arrivals clearly listened. On Monday, Jen had a large basket filled with candy on her lap, with additional pieces to supplement the supply nearby.

Her mother-in-law Kathie was also enjoying the event. The trio had chairs and a small table set up across their driveway, so they were right along the sidewalk as people arrived.

Frank said he and his family “are accustomed to having no one, or maybe up to ten kids, in the last few homes we’ve lived in.

“This,” he said, “was amazing. We had a steady flow from 3:30 until just about 8:15. It just dissipated, so by 8:30 we decided it was enough. We turned out the light and had dinner after that.”

The new residents were impressed not only by the volume of visitors but also the vibe.

“There were a lot of homemade costumes, which was nice to see, and a lot of parents who dressed up with their kids,” Frank said. “It wasn’t just kids, it was a family event, and everybody was into it.”

Kathie Culkin on Monday said she thought some of the parents were having more fun than the kids.

“My wife made one comment too,” Frank said this week, “that it was nice to see the teenagers are little later on. The innocence was nice too. Everyone was very respective, there were a lot of good manners, and everyone was just out there to have fun.”

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.