Moving Halloween to Saturday draws criticism in Marine City
By Barb Pert Templeton
A look at the local calendar for October reflects an entire month-long celebration of Halloween with plenty of trunk or treats and pumpkin patch events across the county. This Friday, Oct. 31, the official much-anticipated candy and costume holiday arrives.
Trick or treating hours on Halloween are from 5 to 8 p.m. in Port Huron, Marysville and St. Clair. In Clay and Cottrellville townships the hours are from 6 to 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, trick or treating in Marine City will take place the day after Halloween, on Saturday Nov.1 from 5 to 8 p.m. The change is due to the high school football team gaining a spot in a playoff game on Friday night. The varsity team has a home playoff game vs. Clawson on Friday at 7 p.m.
Members of the Marine City Commission held a brief discussion about setting the new trick of treating date and hours at an Oct. 16 meeting before approving the plan.
“Halloween is for the kids so when you have all the band and the football players and the cheerleaders and all the people going to the game the town is pretty empty for trick or treating,” Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Hendrick said. “And so, they could go to the game and the next night they could also go trick or treating.”
A post on the public Facebook page “City of Marine City, Michigan,” which is not the official city government page, had gathered 108 comments about the change in the trick or treating date for the city.
There were lots of complaints about changing Halloween to Nov. 1 with some posters feeling football should not alter celebrating a national holiday. Others simply called the idea “stupid.” Things like ‘how many kids even like football games’ to others saying scheduling the game on the holiday was simply wrong seemed to keep the debate rolling.
A playoff football game in Marine City on Oct. 31 prompted city officials to change Halloween hours in the city to Saturday, Nov. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Then there were an equal number of posts that encouraging people to get over it and some suggested people take their kids out trick or treating in another town and enjoy two nights of Halloween. A majority of positive posts said Marine City is a small town that has always
strongly supported kids and football. Allowing everyone to come together to do just that without worrying about passing out candy to trick or treaters on Friday was most important.
Trick or treating in Algonac
Algonac approved there 2025 Halloween Trick or Treat hours and road closures during a recent city council meeting. The city hours for house-to-house candy collecting is 5 to 7 p.m.
At same the time Halloween festivities will be hosted at Smith Recreation Park that will include a Trunk or Treat from 5 to 7 p.m. with cars starting to lineup at 4:30 p.m.
Algonac Rotary Club will be supplying free hot dogs and water and the Algonac staff members will be doing the cooking and wrapping of the hot dogs.
For the safety of participants, the city will be closing Clay and Smith streets from Washington to Michigan streets from 5 to 10 p.m.
Councilman Michael Bembas made the motion to approve the trick or treat hours and Mayor Rocky Gillis noted that Halloween is “his holiday” and he agreed.
Gillis went on to say he loves the way the city hosts the event because he was always getting just five children coming to his home. He said with the local churches being there at the park it’s a very safe environment for all of the kids and then it ends with the bonfire.
“It’s just a beautiful and awesome tradition we have in this town and I think they said 60-some-odd years that they’ve been having bonfires I don’t think anybody really knows,” Gillis said. “I think they used to put Chris-Craft boats on top.”
The comment brough a laugh from the audience in the room.
Last year’s Halloween Trunk or Treat in Algonac was a big success.
“It’s just an awesome tradition that we keep going,” Gillis continue. “And then actually, if I’m not mistaken, Mr. Bryson would know, didn’t we used to burn Marine City jerseys on top, but I don’t think we do that anymore.”
Bryson replied yes from the audience and a woman in the audience commented that know they make quilters out of the jerseys which brought about big laughs in the room.
Other trick or treat events in Algonac on Oct. 31, 2025.
· Algonac Church of Christ at 5 p.m. the church is located at 1601 St. Clair River Drive.
· Holy Hallways at Trinity United Methodist Church from 5 to 7 p.m. at 424 Smith Street.
