The scene at the Secaucus town skating rink could be described in two words: controlled chaos.
Inside, scores of Secaucus youths ranging in age from around 6 to 14 were coating each other with shaving cream and silly string. Devil’s Night, the infamous mischief night before Halloween, was in full fury inside the rink.
Secaucus recreation director John Voli explained why the town sponsored the event, including handing out cans of silly string at the door.
“This is a safe way to have fun,” he said. “This way, the kids get their energy out and there is less of a mess in the streets.”
Daniella DelVicario, 7, was having tons of fun.
“It’s so much fun getting soaked,” she said, a vision in pink, green and white from all of the silly string and shaving cream flying through the air. “You turn all white.” When asked how many people she had personally shaving creamed, the answer was not unimpressive.
“About 20,” she said.
Carolina Gutierrez, 11, knew what the best part of the day was for her.
“You get to do what you want,” she said.
James Mendoza, 13, had one credo for all Devil’s Night participants.
“You gotta keep it messy,” he said.
The next day, the streets of Secaucus were filled with Happy Halloween trick-or-treaters and their parents looking for a sublime sugar rush.
Christina Lee Morano, 5, and Ashlee Roberts, 8, walked down Centre Avenue dressed up as fairies. They bewitchingly smiled when asked why they liked Halloween.
“Because it tastes good,” they said.
Rene Nunez, 5, was dressed up as a football player, while his friend Gerry Ramirez, 5, was dressed up as a police officer. They both proudly declared their love for Skittles candy in a way that provided an impromptu description of themselves.
“They’re sweet,” they said.
J.P. Woeckener, 7, and his sister Hannah, 3, were dressed up as Frankenstein and as a fairy respectively.
Their Halloween motivations were crystal clear.
“I like candy,” Hannah said, ‘It’s crunchy and sugary.”
J.P. was a bit more bottom-line.
“I like getting money,” he said.