By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media

RAVENA — Always a popular destination for trick-or-treaters, Magnolia Circle will again be closed to non-residential traffic this year on Halloween.
Each year, hundreds of families head to the neighborhood to make their holiday rounds, but with so many people walking the streets, there are concerns about safety hazards.
So, similar to what has been done in previous years, Magnolia Circle will be closed to public traffic, other than those who live there and emergency vehicles.
“Halloween is coming up and every year we work in conjunction with Coeymans Police regarding Magnolia Circle,” Deputy Mayor Nancy Warner said at the village board’s Oct. 17 meeting. “Those houses get inundated with trick-or-treaters, and it has become unsafe over the years.”
The closure will begin at 4 p.m. on Halloween and will conclude at 9 p.m. that night. The village will work with the Ravena Fire Police and the Coeymans Police Department to make sure everyone follows the rules, and there will be a barricade at the entrance to Magnolia Circle to make sure no unauthorized vehicles will be allowed through.
“It will be strictly enforced by way of ticketing and possible towing,” Warner said. “This is mostly to ensure the safety of everyone walking through Magnolia Circle. There are hundreds that walk that circle on Halloween.”
Residents of Magnolia Circle will be given two parking passes per household ahead of time that they will display on their dashboards to prove residency.
“We ask [residents] to try not to be in and out, in and out, for the safety of those coming through Magnolia,” she added. “We ask for everyone’s cooperation and we thank you for making that a safe event for all of the kids.”
Village Trustee Caitlin Appleby encouraged families not to inundate homes on Magnolia Circle on Halloween, and to consider trick-or-treating elsewhere in the village, as well.
“There are other neighborhoods to go to,” Appleby said. “There are so many other places you can go — Ridge Road and Woodlawn Drive, there’s Pulver and Van Buren — our village has so many great neighborhoods. Don’t just go to Magnolia Circle.”
Warner agreed.
“There are plenty of other streets that have very generous people who want to be involved in the Halloween tradition as well,” the deputy mayor said. “People figure Magnolia Circle is safe, it’s closed off and there are 80-something houses in there.”
But the sheer number of trick-or-treaters means the village has to take safety precautions, Village Trustee Joseph Ganley said.
“We do have to do crowd control, though, because it gets crazy,” he said.
The closure of Magnolia Circle to all traffic with the exception of residents and emergency vehicles will begin at 4 p.m. on Halloween, Tuesday, Oct. 31, and will conclude that same night at 9 p.m.