EDITORIAL: It's Halloween season
Oct. 15—THUMBS UP to everyone getting ready for the upcoming scary season — especially a McAlester couple raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Leon and Shari Murrin decorate their 729 W. Washington Ave. residence in McAlester with expansive displays for several holidays — this year joining the Skeletons for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital fundraiser.
"We've done this for the kids for years so that was really important to us," Leon told us.
Skeletons for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital started in 2020 after a North Carolina household featuring several skeletons became the first to raise funds for the organization.
St. Jude's is a pediatric treatment and research facility focused on children's catastrophic diseases.
We applaud the Murrins for continuing their yearslong tradition of decorating for various holidays — and finding a way to raise money for a good cause.
The Murrins started decorating their home years ago, becoming known locally for their Halloween and Christmas displays. This year's Halloween display features two giant skeletons, a large spider, a headless horseman, and many more scary-fun items.
Their house can also be found on a YouTube search for "My Parents Yard 2021" for a preview of what it looks like.
Anyone looking to donate can scan a QR code on a sign attached to a light post on the west side of the Murrins' home. That will open the fundraiser link for further donation instructions.
We hope everyone has fun leading up to Halloween and considers donating to the cause.
----THUMBS UP to the city of McAlester moving trick-or-treating ahead one night.
Halloween falls on Sunday, Oct. 31 and McAlester Mayor John Browne announced the city's official night for trick-or-treating will be Saturday, Oct. 30. He told us the move keeps the annual tradition from conflicting with other activities.
"Sunday is a church day," Browne told us. "Many churches have evening services and a lot of them put on trick-or-treats.
"In order to give everyone as much opportunity as they can to enjoy the holiday, it makes sense to move it to Saturday," said Browne.
It's not the first time this has been done, with previous official trick-or-treating moved from a Sunday night for safety, religious, and other reasons.
We believe moving the trick-or-treating night to Saturday helps relieve several issues and ensures students aren't out late on a school night.
Safety is a priority every year at Halloween as all trick-or-treaters should avoid heavily driven areas and stay out of traffic — while all drivers should always be aware of trick-or-treaters.
We wish everyone a happy Halloween season and urge everyone to be careful.
----THUMBS UP to Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma helping out our community with a series of donations toward Pittsburg County projects.
Two donations came from the Choctaw Nation toward the Lakeview Road Project in District 3, with one donation for $101,442.50 and another for $57,577.57.
Choctaw Nation also donated $6,500 to the county as part of its quarterly county and community donation program that the county is considering using on a project at the Pittsburg County Fairgrounds.
We appreciate the partnership and support the Choctaw Nation offers to our community.
Choctaw Nation is a vital part of our community's history and success.
McAlester News-Capital Editorial Board
