Our three trick-or-treaters getting ready to hit the Lake Oswego streets

In our house, Halloween wasn’t about the search for the Great Pumpkin…it was all about the hunt for the candy. Our kids had it down to a six part process:

1. Candy collecting
2. Candy weighing
3. Candy counting
4. Candy sorting
5. Candy trading
6. Candy eating

Although we didn’t live in a high-traffic trick-or-treat neighborhood, our kids still managed to come home with at least a six month stash. They would all start their night by visiting our neighbor, Betsy,  who made herself the most popular house on the street by handing out king size candy bars.

Even if you don’t have a Betsy on your street, Lake Oswego neighborhoods won’t disappoint on Halloween. Here are some of the best spots to hit:

WESTLAKE: The biggest haul of my son’s trick-or-treating life was when he joined a group of friends and they vanned their way through Westlake neighborhoods. He came home with over 20 pounds of the sweet stuff.

Westlake resident Lois Barnum knows the drill. Even though she is located in a cul-de-sac, she has handed out candy to as many as 160 kids on Halloween night. Anything under 90 is a slow night for her. Located within a walking school district in a neighborhood of mostly 3-5 bedroom houses, there are lots of kids ready to hit the streets. That’s not to mention the vans whose candy tracking GPS leads them to Westlake.

Barnum dons a witch’s hat when greeting trick-or-treaters at the door and will even do a rendition of “I’ll get you my little pretty,” for the older and wiser crowd. Some of her favorite costumed characters? She has quite a list from the all male high school group dressed as 1950s cheerleaders who formed a pyramid outside her door as their trick for her treat to the baby bumblebees. “They always get me,” she explains.

MARYLHURST: Van drop-offs are common in this neighborhood too. “I think maybe it’s because the neighborhood is contained, making it safer with no outlets…or maybe it’s the Costco-sized candy bars some residents give out,” explains Marylhurst resident Mary Vigo. She can easily go through two of Costco’s large bags of candy in addition to 200 of the full size candy bars in one night.

RIVER RUN: “Our neighborhood totally goes all out,” explains River Run enthusiast, Lisa Andersson. Complete with graveyards for the likes of Will Rott , the homeowners do their best to set the stage for bands of trick-or-treaters. Add to that the fact that it’s a flat, easy-to-walk neighborhood and it’s little surprise that Andersson can easily find 150 kids at her door she has never seen before. “We get first timers to 17 year olds,” she explains, “because they think it’s so much fun they can’t stop.”

BRYANT WOODS: Flat with houses close together is this neighborhood’s strong selling point. “I wouldn’t call it a drop-off neighborhood,” explains resident Wendy Aldrich, except for some kids who might come down to escape the Westridge hills. Even just catering to locals, however, Aldrich easily sees 140 kids in a night, and they tend to be the younger set.

Here’s something to do before you hit the streets with your kids: The Lake Oswego Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring the 6^th Annual Harvest Festival at Millennium Plaza Park on Monday, October 31 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Features games, crafts, the Dragon Puppet Theater and a stroll down Trick or Treat Street.

Do you have a favorite trick-or-treating neighborhood in Lake Oswego?         I’d love to hear about it.

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