Normally my wife and I will take our son trick or treating around our local neighborhood, going from house to house just like I did when I was a kid. This year however, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law invited my son and of course my wife and I to celebrate Halloween with them and their son – Sag Harbor Style…

First off, on Halloween, Main St. in Sag Harbor become candy central! Most every local business joins the “Pumpkin Trail” and offers sweet treats to every costumed kid. Most of these shop owners themselves get dressed up.

Costumes ranged from the expected ghosts and goblins to some pretty creative ones, I saw two kids wearing homemade Ipod outfits, and another wore black pants and a real mailbox over his head -interesting.

The trip up and down Main St. took about an hour. After which we headed out to knock on a few doors. With my brother-in-law (a life long Sag Harbor resident) as our guide we hit a few choice homes for some more treats.

The Sag Harbor neighborhoods are a bit different then the more suburban area I’m from. It gets awfully dark at night. Near my home, we have sidewalks and street lights. In Sag Harbor, you can go for blocks with only porch lights to guide you – the flashlight my (in the know) in-laws brought helped keep us safe.

Our trip off the beaten path led us to what seems to be a bona fide, Sag Harbor Halloween tradition. In the middle of a darkened street, an older couple stood grilling hot dogs for everyone one who came by to enjoy. And make no mistake; people from all over Sag Harbor do come – every year. According to my brother-in-law that family (whose name I didn’t get) has offered hotdogs, apple cider and a place to sit, to all passer-bys for as long as he can remember. What a perfect way to cap off a night of trick or treating…

Afterwards we headed over to another Sag Harbor landmark – the Corner bar. Were we enjoyed some nice juicy burgers and a cold beer or two, before heading home…