Here is a story from the Associated Press, posted at Detroit Free Press: Families are planning Halloween fun despite grim economic outlook.

A snippet:

The economic downturn doesn’t seem to be dampening Halloween spirits. Americans are planning to spend even more on candy and decorations this year than last, according to surveys by Visa Inc. and the National Retail Federation.

The Visa survey found that 75% of Americans plan to celebrate and spend on Halloween, and among those, the average will spend $47 on candy and decorations — an 18% increase from what they were planning to spend on Halloween in a similar Visa survey last year.

Well, I’m a little suspicious as to how that predicted spending “increase” will actually play out in southeast Michigan.

If you’re looking for holiday activities in the Monroe area, there are lots of things to do. Check out this pre-set search for holiday events in October at the MonroeTalks calendar. All the local events are listed, along with some of the more well-known events within an hour or so drive. I expect there will be more additions to the list in the next few days.

If you need a family-friendly event, you’ll find it. If you need a free event, you’ll find it. If you’re looking for an old-fashioned scare, yup, we’ve got those too.

This does NOT mean, however, that local families will be spending more money than in recent years. My hunch is that we’ll see limits on actual cash being spent.

Example: I’m not planning to buy any new Halloween or fall decor this year. I’m digging through my storage boxes for costume pieces, my screechy music CD to play during trick-or-treat, and a pretty orange wreath for the door. I’ve noticed my neighbors who like to decorate outside their homes for Halloween area are mostly re-using last year’s pieces – I’ve seen only a couple new things in the yards.

I also bought my Halloween candy on sale + coupon, getting more for my money than I did last year. The only thing I could still use is two or three pumpkins, which to be honest, will be a low priority purchase for me this year.

Now here’s the further reality check: In 2007, the trick-or-treat kids in my neighborhood found pretty slim pickings on the candy.

The number of kids coming around seemed to be about the same as usual. But, it astounded me as to how little candy the kids were actually carrying in their bags. In addition, I also saw more neighbors than I expected closing up early because they ran out of treats.

Given the most recent statistics from Monroe County on unemployment, the number of Monroe kids who have since been signed up for the free or reduced school lunch program, and the number of foreclosed homes in the area …

I think the local trick-or-treat candy harvest for 2008 will be just as skimpy.