Tulsa World: Fans face tough decision

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Fans face tough decision
Many grateful for their video recorders

Tracey Miller helps her daughters Gracie (left), Gabby and Ginger with their Halloween costumes before going to a party. Miller, a University of Oklahoma fan, will record Saturday's OU football game while taking her girls trick-or-treating. Stephen Pingry/Tulsa World

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Published: 10/28/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 10/28/2009 4:48 AM

Parents have several opportunities to watch football games every year, but their children can go trick-or-treating for only so long.

Several University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University fans in Tulsa considered this fact when contemplating the conundrum of college football on Halloween night.

Both OU and OSU will play at home Saturday. The two evening games will be televised, offering plenty of potential distraction for football-fan parents of young witches, ghosts and vampires.

OU fan Donnie Blanco said he would much rather see his son dress up as a football player Saturday night than watch the real ones playing on television.

Blanco, who has two boys, said it wasn't a difficult decision, adding that Halloween comes only once a year.

OSU fan Wendy Leblang said she feels the same way. Her 5-year-old daughter, Sammy, is dressing up as Cinderella.

"I can always record the game," Leblang said.

Matt Metzer couldn't pass up the chance to attend the OSU game against the University of Texas on Saturday night, so his wife will handle the trick-or-treating duties, he said.

She isn't into football that much, so she'll be with the couple's three children, all 8 or younger, who will be dressed up as a ninja, a bunny rabbit and a half-angel/ half-devil, Metzer said.

If he had to stay home and watch the game on television, he wouldn't be too eager for the interruption of other children in costume, he said.

"I'd probably just have to turn out the porch light," Metzer said.

The city of Stillwater took care of the problem earlier this month by declaring Thursday night as the official trick-or-treat time for area children. Besides OSU's football team playing at home Saturday, Stillwater High School has a home football game Friday night.

"The city had been bombarded with numerous requests to move" Halloween, Mayor Nathan Bates said.

Residents were concerned that game-day traffic would clog the roads and that people might not be home to hand out candy, he said.

Back in Tulsa, OU fan Tracey Miller has decided to record the game and take her three young girls to Halloween events around town.

Her youngest and oldest will be dressed up as a turkey and an Indian princess, respectively. The 4-year-old, however, decided not to go along with the family's first Thanksgiving theme. She will be a fairy from "Tinkerbell."

"I'm going to DVR the game," Miller said. "And I'm not going to let anybody talk to me about it before."

Shannon Muchmore 581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Oklahomans decide between Halloween and college football," which was published on 10/27/2009.

	Report Comment Guillermo, (10/27/2009 6:46:03 PM) Come on Tulsa support you team. Halloween is for night time, the game is at 1, they need a big crowd to get the win! Come on Tulsa, it's your team.
	Report Comment cowboytimothy, (10/27/2009 7:37:03 PM) Guillermo, actualy read the article.
	Report Comment cowboytimothy, (10/27/2009 7:37:59 PM) Guillermo, wouldn't hurt to actually read the article. The Golden Hurricane's game isn't at issue.
	Report Comment terryf, (10/27/2009 9:07:35 PM) ummm could we move halloween in oklahoma possibly to sunday night? or fri night? lets get our priorities straight
	Report Comment Boomer, B-A (10/27/2009 9:37:11 PM) I'm combining the two by putting a TV on the front porch with the OU game on. That ought to scare the heck out of everyone!
	Report Comment GretaSue, (10/27/2009 10:51:04 PM) gotta hand it to Boomer, he's got the right idea, cuddle up in a lawn chair with a snuggie and hand out candy & keep the other parents updated on the game...
	Report Comment Paul.j.R., Wagoner (10/27/2009 11:08:13 PM) What is wrong with parents today?Since when is a college football game more important than seeing your children smile and have fun trick or treating?People really need to get back to family values rather than what the next sporting event!!
	Report Comment olddude, tulsa (10/28/2009 7:11:32 AM) Why not move the football games to sunday morning,some of you people worship football over the Lord.
	Report Comment Moses, Jenks (10/28/2009 7:15:35 AM) I don't have any kids at home. The TV on the front porch with the "candy bucket" sounds like a good idea to me! I want to watch the game but sure don't want to miss any of the kiddies trick or treating!
	Report Comment Gazelle, Broken Arrow (10/28/2009 8:14:06 AM) I'm glad we don't have any kids, and that we live out in the country where we don't get any trick-or-treaters. Wouldn't want to miss being at this game!! I might wear a costume to the game, though. Go Pokes!!
	Report Comment RickCain, (10/28/2009 8:28:13 AM) For Oklahomans its a no-brainer. Good wholesome college football vs. witchcraft.
	Report Comment billw001, Tulsa (10/28/2009 8:55:38 AM) Tough decision. Be with your kids or watch a football game.... Hmmm
	Report Comment Alaska_Okie, Shreveport, LA (10/28/2009 9:58:21 AM) Yeah, I'm an OSU fan married to a TX fan. We're going to the game and letting my mother have her grandkids. She begged to have them, so it's a WIN - WIN!
	Report Comment forkandknife, Tulsa (10/28/2009 10:39:48 AM) Boo.
	Report Comment Youngin_07, (10/28/2009 12:54:39 PM) Lol, Boomer you are awesome!
	Report Comment mayor_maynot, Tulsa (10/28/2009 12:55:16 PM) Alaska Okie Quit havin all that fun. LOL
	Report Comment aint missbehavin, .. (10/28/2009 1:07:55 PM) How sweet it is,good goin,takin candy right out of the kiddies mouth,they talked about ya doin it,I just didnt think ya would is all.
	Report Comment redbeard, Stillwater (10/28/2009 2:40:51 PM) It was a smart move to change the trick-or-treating to Thursday.That way parents get to watch their kids play high school ball on Friday night and go to the Pokes' game on Saturday,and the kids get to trick or treat. It's win-win-win.
	Report Comment AllSmiles, Sperry (10/28/2009 3:25:19 PM) I don't have my son this weekend...SO GUESS WHAT!! I get to be a kid...dress up....watch the games...and pass out candy! How much fun is that?
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (10/28/2009 8:08:43 PM) Spend it with the kids. They're only kids for a brief moment and you will never get a second chance when they are young. Football isn't life.
	Report Comment Raven is my name, Guthrie (10/29/2009 8:18:16 AM) We will be out trick-or-treating with ear buds in. You can't trick-or-treat for 3 1/2 hours anyway, and I think trick-or-treating in downtown Guthrie starts at 4:00 at the businesses.
	Report Comment ddmc, Edmond (10/29/2009 9:43:56 AM) As a mom and a season ticket holder, the 6 p.m. kickoff was more than aggravating. So after stewing over it for a few days, I decided that I would stay behind with my son, go trick-or-treating, then he and I would head to Norman. This will only be the second game in 13 years that I missed part of, but you can't deny a 4-year-old a fun tradition. The upside? I doubt we hit much gameday traffic!
	Report Comment Raven is my name, Guthrie (10/29/2009 11:27:24 AM) ddmc - and it is going to be such a nice night for trick-or-treating. :)
	Report Comment HalloweenBaby, (10/30/2009 8:43:05 AM) Took care of the problem? Took care of the problem? Where have you been?!! This was one of the most incomprehensible, inane and inconvenient decisions the City of Stillwater has ever made. "Earlier this month" is technically correct; but the decision made by the City Manager (!) and not voted on by the City Council (wimps!) was made NINE days before Halloween. NINE days. Thank you City Manager Galloway for giving us parents such short notice. Thank you City Manager Galloway for kowtowing to OSU. Many kids were anxiously awaiting to have trick-or-treating on a Saturday. Many parents were anxiously awaiting on payday to buy candy and costumes. I called the City of Stillwater and voiced my complaints and ask exactly how many people had called in requesting the change. No one would or could tell me. It didn't take long for other phone callers being directed toward voice mail. Evidently, this was the way the City of Stillwater also, "took care of the problem." In 1998, OSU played Texas on Halloween and it was homecoming. Did the City kowtow to OSU and the almighty ESPN then? No, they did not. There was no reason to do so this time - except money. Few Clothes has it right: spend the time with the kids. And to solve the dilemma from our end - we hosted trick-or-treating last night and will be hosting it Saturday. To the TW staff and Jason: Why did this article run after trick-or-treating on Thursday in Stillwater? It should have run "earlier this month."

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