Freshman Tremain Ducker, a business administration major, chuckles as he recalls his bag-snatching days of Halloweens past. Bola Majekobaje, a senior biology major, remembers her yearning for chocolate bars as a young girl and closes her eyes as she thinks about what it was like to swallow the very last bite.
While candy is associated with many holidays, from Easter baskets to candy canes, for many people, Halloween is the biggest candy holiday, and as it approaches, it brings with it lots of purchases and sweet memories.
“People are buying candy corn like crazy,” said Sarah Garling, an employee at the Sweet Factory. “I have worked at the Sweet Factory at the Valley River Center for a little over a year, and this is our busiest season.”
Some people enjoy the availability of bags of bite-sized treats at grocery and drug stores around Halloween.
“For $1.88, you can get just about any kind of candy you like,” junior James Offia said.
Of course, everyone has his or her favorites.
Freshman Kennasha Roberson doesn’t celebrate Halloween, but she said she will do anything for bite-sized Snickers and Dots.
“I like those orange pumpkins that are like candy corn,” senior educational studies major Nikki Johnson said.
Senior communications major Sarah Chiles said she prefers Jujubes, Jingles and Jelly Belly jelly beans for Halloween.
While students have a lot of choices when it comes to Halloween activities, such as costume contests and parties, those options may not offer the same tasty opportunities as trick-or-treating.
“The problem with parties,” pre-psychology major Kady-Ann Davy said, “is that you don’t get as much candy as you would if you were out on the town.”
Students might be hyped about all of Halloween’s celebratory possibilities, but when are they too old to put on a costume and hit the streets?
“Never, ever, ever,” Davy said.
Dianne May, the owner of Candy Connection, a local candy store, said candy is a sweet treat any and every time of the year. As May helped a customer, she said it’s really fun to see people of all ages coming into the store and letting candy take them down memory lane.
“I remember my cousins’ whole behavior changing around Halloween-time because they wanted Boston Baked Beans, Johnny Appleseeds and Sour Patch Kids on Halloween,” sophomore business major Jameka Gibson said. Ronnie Seawood, a senior business administration major, recalls how his mother rarely allowed him to eat much candy when he was growing up because it was bad for his health and teeth.
Junior journalism major Amanda Langston had similar restrictions on her sweet tooth. She puckered her lips as she thought about how as a little girl she was allowed to eat candy only on Wednesdays during The Cosby Show.
Langston also remembers how her young sister would roll on the floor until she was granted the candy she wanted.
“Candy makes you do things that seem abnormal or out of character sometimes,” she said.