Amy could hardly sit still all day. By late afternoon her mother, Judy Luker, had to tell her to sit down in the living room.

But soon, Amy was bouncing around on the couch, gabbing away and, predictably enough, bringing her mother into the room to find out why the little 6-year-old couldn’t stay quiet.

“I just get so excited that I can’t sit still,” Amy told her.

THE SCENE at 300 N. State St. in New Ulm was probably no different than at most other households in town because it was Oct. 31, and Halloween evening was fast approaching.

The only thing that set the Ronald Luker household aside from any other was that for the first time, Amy and her brother, Joel 5, were going to be able to approach the neighborhood doors without their mother at their sides.

Mrs. Luker was still going out with the pair – Amy in her Snow White costume and Joel in his Spiderman apparel – but this year, she was going to wait at the sidewalk while they went to the doors to trick-or-treat.

FINALLY,much to their delight,they got ready to leave.

The trek the Lukers take on Halloween isn’t very long, up the east side of the 300 block of N. State and down the west side of the street,then home.

“It’s much easier, Mrs. Luker pointed out. “At this age, they’re satisfied with any candy they get.”

As she said it, Amy skipped out of the house, with Joel, blowing a half-whistle,half-hum through his mask,strolling carefully behind.

SHE HUSTLED up to the first house, leaving Joel and her mother behind, but waited until Joel got there to ask for her treat.

Exchanging greetings with the woman at the door (who expressed amazement at the prospect of having Spiderman at her door),Amy darted back toward the sidewalk after getting her candy,holding up the plastic pumpkin she carried so as to get a view of her first piece of loot.

“Look it, she gave me a hard candy,” Amy exclaimed to her mother. Then, in a more half-hearted voice: “I guess I’ll take it.”

Meanwhile, Spiderman traipsed behind, chanting softly,”ooh, ooh,ooh.”

THEN, IT was on to the next house, Amy calling back to her mother to “go to Kelly’s; let’s go over to Kelly’s.”

Soon, the two of them had gotten their methodology down pat,skipping around to one house,holding the plastic pumpkins for the treat and then the careful, distinct,”Thank you.”

Coming away from one house,Amy looked into her pumpkin to find a particularly pleasing treat.

“Look it, Mommy,” she exclaimed,”suckers.”

At another house, a handful of children crowded around the door.Amy moved with the flow of traffic toward the door; Joel, meanwhile,took his time,waiting patiently for the line to end.

FINALLY, it did only to have the woman passing out candy run out after giving Amy her treat and turn,with only a quiet word, to go back into the house to get a piece for Joel.

Joel, meanwhile, as if thinking his patience had turned into a detriment, bent his neck to look inside the house momentarily, and then turned to walk away just as the woman got back with his candy.

The trick-or-treating soon ended however. The two Luker kids seemingly unconcerned that the annual tour would have to wait another year, went back home eagerly, Amy skipping out in front,Joel strolling slowly with his whistle-hum still in his voice.

As they approached their own house,visions of counting their loot undoubtedly dancing in their heads, their father, dressed in a sheet, leaped out from some bushes.

Joel acted as though he didn’t even notice and Amy just stared momentarily before realizing it was just Dad. And Joel started running up the walk.

“Dad, you know what?” he said,”We got to go into a house.”

Halloween is over. But for kids, it never seems to end.

New Ulm Daily Journal

Nov. 2, 1975