I've never been much of a Halloween fan.
I kind of left that behind when I hung up my Trick-or-Treat bag in my teen years. There was a time when we literally could hit every house in town.
I enjoyed it when my kids were little, either taking them around the neighborhood on their rounds, or manning the door at home and handing out treats.
But to me Halloween is a kid thing. I never quite understood the allure for adults who go full tilt with their Halloween celebrations.
And my wife is even less of a fan.
All of which makes you wonder what in God's name we were doing in Rehoboth Beach this weekend.
First some background.
Rehoboth is one of my favorite places on earth. Yes, even despite all the buildup out on Route 1 and the claptrap that I wish would disappear.
But in town, it remains in many ways that special summer town that I have visited and loved since I was a kid.
But the fun does not stop in Rehoboth after Labor Day.
This weekend was something called the Sea Witch Festival, an event that has been packing them in for 30 years.
My wife and I were not there for the celebration; we were there instead to celebrate her 60th birthday.
I had no idea it was Sea Witch Weekend until I started calling some local hotels trying to find a room for the weekend. It was not easy.
We would up at the Hotel Rehoboth on Rehoboth Avenue, which put us smack dab in the middle of the party.
On Saturday, they literally shut down Rehoboth Avenue to all traffic for a huge parade, including floats, bands, along with kids and animals dressed in their best Halloween finery.
I swear the town was more crowded than summer weekends I've been there.
People were literally tailgating along Rehoboth Avenue before the parade kicked off Saturday afternoon. Everywhere you turned people were decked out in full costume. It looked like a lot of families decided to hold family reunions for the day. Everywhere you turned there was a party.
So much for our quiet birthday getaway.
We had a blast. No, we didn't dress up. But we walked all over town, hitting out favorite spots - Grotto for pizza Friday night, Thrasher's for fries Saturday afternoon.
If you are a Halloween fan, put this one on your Bucket List.
Sea Witch.
Who knew?
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