Nearly full moon, extra hour of partying, Halloween combine for possibly busy night for Lawrence police

While this Halloween may be no different for young trick-or-treaters, all odds point to a particularly nutty night for the grownups.

With the spooky holiday falling on a Saturday this year, it gives adult ghouls and goblins even more time to do the monster mash and party the night away.

“It’s going to get pretty crazy, I would probably bet $100 on that,” said Tanisha Birch, of Lawrence, who was putting together her boxer costume on Friday. “The police department has their work cut out for them.”

Some reminders for families on Halloween, from Lawrence police.

• Wear reflective costumes or put reflective tape on costumes for better visibility.

• Stay in familiar neighborhoods.

• Adults should accompany small trick-or-treaters.

• Inspect all candy that kids bring home, for safety.

• Watch for traffic in the street.

Lawrence police are quite aware what the haunted evening brings them: “A lot of extra people that might not ordinarily be out on a Saturday night,” said Sgt. Michael Monroe, police spokesman.

He said the number of celebrants will likely only be magnified by the good weather that’s expected today.

“You have to be extra careful this year,” he said.

Plus on this Halloween, revelers will have an extra hour to knock back the witches brew at local bars, thanks to Daylight Saving time coming to an end early Sunday morning. Most drinking establishments will keep their doors open an hour longer, as the clock officially moves back an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday, well into the witching hour.

“We only get this one night a year,” Josh Mochel, owner of Jo Shmo’s bar and restaurant, 724 Mass., said of the time change. “It’s unbelievable how many people are excited about Halloween. … We’re excited to see what the night brings us.”

Sgt. Monroe urged adults and kids to be vigilant of the increase in pedestrians on the streets, and reminded adults they should not drive if they’ve over-indulged in alcohol.

The police department has no plans to have more officers on the street than any other Saturday night, Monroe said, but he said officers were expecting the usual increase of suspicious activity complaints to come rolling in. With so many people dressing up in costume, he said it’s expected.

Time will soon tell just how crazy Halloween night will be. It’s also a nearly full moon, so for the particularly suspicious, tonight could be as crazy as can be.