It doesn't have to be Halloween to be frightened by Huntley traffic
What's the scariest thing about Huntley? With Halloween lurking just around the corner, I posed that question to some unsuspecting "victims" I found around town this week.
The most popular answers? Traffic, taxes, and trick-or-treaters, in that order.
"I don't like (Route) 47 because there's always so much traffic all the time," said Sun City resident Mary Reuter.
"Depending on what time of day it is, it's always lined up."
Dairy Mart owner Steve Grechis agreed.
"Traffic," he said, watching as a row of semis rumbled by his walk-up window on the corner of Route 47 and North Street.
No one has run into his store, he said, but there have been a few close scrapes.
"One car came from over there," Grechis said, pointing to the southbound lane. "It came through here and hit a couple of cars. I don't know how it happened -- maybe they hit the gas instead of the brakes or something?"
Waiting with her children for ice cream, customer Kelly Veciveaux had a ready response.
"The scariest thing about Huntley? I'd say the taxes," she replied without hesitation. "We've lived out here for seven years, and the taxes were a little bit of a shock."
At Walgreens, cosmetics manager Debbie Lindquist let her imagination flow when I stopped by with my "scary Huntley" survey.
"Maybe it could be the back roads, at night when it's dark," she suggested, possibly influenced by the store's large display of creepy masks and Halloween decorations .
"Like the farm roads," she continued. "There aren't too many left, but there could be a headless horseman or something out there. Could be … you never can tell!"
At McDonald's, Huntley High School juniors Lauren Opolony and Nikki Barrett were enjoying an after-school snack when I posed my question to them.
"The scariest thing?" said Opolony. "Probably it is what the teenagers get away with, the school pranks and stuff like T.P.-ing, egging, or how they 'fork' the yards."
For the uninitiated, "forking" involves sticking hundreds of plastic forks in a victim's lawn, Barrett quickly explained … not that she and her friends would ever pull such a stunt themselves.
What scares her the most?
"Driving on 47," Barrett says. "When we get out of school, there's a lot of traffic … (and) accidents and stuff. My friend just had one."
It looks like the verdict is in: On Halloween -- and every other day of the year -- Huntley's biggest bug-a-boo is the traffic. So all of you trick-or-treaters should remember to be careful out there!
Trick-or-treating: Trick-or-treat hours are from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, says Huntley police chief John Perkins.
Trick-or-treaters are advised to watch out for traffic and not to wear Halloween masks or hoods that might obscure their vision. Reflective tape on clothing is also a good idea, and children should not trick-or-treat alone.
Make the rounds with your friends or stay on well-lighted streets in your own neighborhood, and never enter a stranger's house or accept a ride from a stranger, Perkins advises.
"Just use common sense and be careful, that's the main thing," the chief says.
"And have fun, too."