Mischief Night

Mischief Night, the night before Halloween Night, is an important adolescent rite of passage in coal country. First, not everybody participates in the actual mischief, so don't get all righteously indignant on me just yet. Kids used to soap car windows, mostly. Some of the tougher kids smashed pumpkins or pelted empty buildings with rocks. I didn't see an actual toilet-papered tree until I attended college in the Lehigh Valley. I did hear of some kids putting potatoes in exhaust pipes or sugar in gas tanks....maybe it was more legend than fact at the time. In the old days, I've heard that many outhouses got tipped or moved to weird places.

Here in Berks County, I've noted that some kids smash car windshields, drive on lawns, throw eggs or corn, and of course, smash pumpkins. At times, tires are slashed or guns shot in the air. Spray paint is used often...along with vulgar language.Once in a while, somebody will take a for sale sign from a house for sale and put it in front of a house not for sale.

Many of these acts do come under my definition of vandalism. I'm hoping that this year's pranksters don't do any damage or hurt anyone. I'd like to see some kind of new tradition started on Mishchief Night....maybe we could call it Do-gooders Night. Round up the Merry Pranksters and have them help at the soup kitchen or food pantry, or visit lonely people or animal shelters.

Sounds too corny for you? Sounds too "safe" for our little rebels? Too Goody Two Shoes? Maybe...but what is more dangerous than a desperate soul? What is more dangerous than a person who doesn't care about others? What is more dangerous than a person who thinks somebody else will take care of "it"?

I dunno.