Most adults have fond memories from their childhood of dressing up on Halloween and scavenging around their neighbourhoods in attempts to collect a sack full of candy.
Trick-or-treating often leads to a colourful assortment of candies from chocolate to chips to gum and even the not-so-popular box of raisins. Most people have a favourite Halloween treat, something they would hope to fall into their bag with every door knock.
Maybe they would savour these confectionery favourites making sure not to eat them all at once or maybe the temptation was too intense and their number ones would be gone before Nov. 1.
Black Press Media asked a handful of adults in the Parksville and Qualicum Beach area what candy they most anticipated getting while trick-or-treating as kids.
Michelle Stilwell, MLA for Parksville-Qualicum, said her favourite treat as a kid still sticks today.
“My favourite Halloween candy as a kid was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It still is. Who doesn’t love a mix of chocolate and peanut butter?” Stilwell said.
Qualicum Bay resident Deanna Francoeur also loved getting the Peanut Butter Cups.
“But I had the most fun sorting it all out after to see what I got and how much,” Francoeur said.
Also on the chocolate train is Parksville city councillor Teresa Patterson, who said she favoured collecting pretty much anything chocolate.
“Smarties,” she said.
Nanoose resident Jessica McLaren was happy to get anything big.
“Like the big-sized chocolate bars,”she said. “And chips, specifically the crunchie cheesies. Oh, and pop.”
But there’s more to candy than what’s coming from the cocoa family.
Qualicum Beach mayor-elect Brian Wiese said his favourite Halloween candy was “that sponge candy that came in a three-by-three square that melted in your mouth.”
“No idea what it’s called,” he said.
City of Parksville’s manager of communications Deb Tardiff said her favourite candy to collect was black licorice.
Marilyn Wilson, newly elected Parksville city councillor, said hers was candy kisses. Peter McCully, PQB News publisher, also enjoyed receiving “Halloween kisses,” little toffee squares that came in orange wrappers.
Keeping in line with the toffee treats, newly elected Qualicum Beach councillor Robert Filmer said his favourite trick-or-treating score was Tootsie Rolls.
“Although I haven’t had them in a while as my dentist (and my braces) frown upon them. Haha!” Filmer wrote in an email.
Adam Fras, newly elected Parksville councillor, said his favourite treats were Starbursts.
Qualicum Beach mayor Teunis Westbroek, who will switch to the role of Qualicum Beach councillor on Nov. 5, said he didn’t know about trick-or-treating growing up in Holland.
“But chocolates would have been my favourite and still are,” he said. “Children get chocolate letters, first letter of their name, on the fifth of December when we celebrate the Arrival of Saint Nicolas in Holland.”
