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Halloween Starts Now in Central New York Halloween Starts Now in Central New York

By Corey Spector

Halloween Front Yard Decorations
© 2019 Corey Spector

Adam Mazzoni: HALLOWEEN IN PARTICULAR TO ME IS VERY NOSTALGIC. EVERYONE HAS FOND MEMORIES OF, YA KNOW, GOING TRICK-OR-TREATING AND THEN JUST EATING YOURSELF SICK WITH CANDY AND CHOCOLATE AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF, YEA!

Corey Spector:ADAM MAZZONI IS THE OWNER OF SWEET ON CHOCOLATE, LOCATED IN THE HEART OF ARMORY SQUARE. SINCE THE CALENDAR HAS FLIPPED FROM SEPTEMBER TO OCTOBER, IT’S TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT THE FALL AND HALLOWEEN. A TIME WHEN SWEET ON CHOCOLATE ADDS SOME NEW YUMMY FLAVORS.

Mazzoni: BUTTER PECAN TRUFFLES, CARAMEL APPLE TRUFFLES, PUMPKIN SPICE TRUFFLES – GOTTA HAVE SOMETHING PUMPKIN SPICE I THINK.

Spector: AND ALL THOSE NEW ADDITIONS CREATE A VERY SATISFIED CUSTOMER BASE ENTERING HALLOWEEN.

Mazzoni: I WOULD SAY EXTRA HAPPINESS WITH A SIDE OF HAPPINESS. PEOPLE ARE, I MEAN, IT’S A CHOCOLATE SHOP, RIGHT? IT’S LIKE FUN AND EXCITING AND YOU GET TO BE A KID IN A CANDY STORE.

Spector: THAT HAPPINESS THIS TIME OF YEAR PRODUCES A TON OF SPENDING. EARLY ESTIMATIONS SHOW THE UNITED STATES WILL SPEND NEARLY NINE BILLION DOLLARS ON HALLOWEEN, INCLUDING TWO POINT SEVEN BILLION ON DECORATIONS. ONE LOCAL FAMILY ON JAMESVILLE ROAD CERTAINLY DECORATES, AND THEN SOME. SEVERAL INFLATABLES PERMEATE THE FRONT LAWN. SURE, IT PROBABLY COSTS A LOT OF MONEY, BUT HEATHER MORSE BELIEVE IT’S WELL WORTH THE COST.

Heather Morse: THERE’S SUCH BAD IN THE WORLD NOWADAYS DAYS. EVEN JUST A FEW MINUTES OF WATCHING KIDS RUN BY AND GET THEIR SELFIES TAKEN OVER BY ONE OF THE INFLATABLES. OR WE DO SOMETIMES LITTLE MESSAGES ON THE SIDEWALKS OR WE DO OUR RANDOM ROCK QUOTES ON THERE. JUST TO MAKE SOMEBODY’S DAY EVEN FOR A FEW MINUTES MAKES ME HAPPY.

Spector: ONLY 30 DAYS REMAIN BETWEEN NOW AND HALLOWEEN. AND WHETHER YOU’RE GETTING COSTUMES, YOU’RE GETTING CANDY, OR YOU’RE SETTING UP DECORATIONS, YOU DON’T WANT TO WAIT OR ELSE IT COULD GET A LITTLE…SPOOKY. COREY SPECTOR, NCC NEWS.

By Corey Spector SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Today, the calendar turns from September to October, which officially kicks off Halloween month. Despite the actual holiday occurring in 30 days, many people across Central New York are gearing up for the festive day.

Heather Morse, a homeowner on  Jamesville Road in DeWitt, has been dispersing several blow-up inflatables across her front lawn across several years. Part of the charm is that it unites she, her husband and their eight children. But it also means a lot more than garnering attention.

“There’s such bad in the world nowadays,” Morse said. “Even just a few minutes of watching kids run by and get their selfies taken over by one of the inflatables. Just to make somebody’s day even for a few minutes makes me happy.”

While homeowners cater their homes to fit the themes of the Halloween season, local business owners are doing the same with their products. Sweet on Chocolate, a chocolate store located in downtown Syracuse, is offering seasonal butter pecan truffles, caramel apple truffles, and pumpkin spice truffles. Storeowner Adam Mazzoni says sales increase during the fall months, but so does his customers’ levels of jubilation.

“Extra happiness with a side of happiness, ” Mazzoni said.

Mazzoni surmised that while people go to convenient stores or chain stores to buy candy for their loved ones, he believes his customers buy his chocolates to consume themselves. There are dozens of flavors in the store, many of which pertain to the autumn season.

Overall,  Mazzoni enjoys the time leading up to the holiday season, and attempts to share that joy with his customers.

“Halloween in particular to me is very nostalgic,” Mazzoni said. Everyone has fond memories of going trick-or-treating and then just eating yourself sick with candy and chocolate.”

The National Retail Federation has estimated American consumers will spend $8.8 billion on Halloween in 2019. This includes $3.2 billion on costumes, $2.6 billion on candy and $2.7 billion on decorations. The total spending is up nearly $2 billion since 2013.

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