This is one of those years kids relish and parents dread: Halloween falls on a Saturday. That means more chances for problems.

Kids will be out on the prowl for candy beginning late Saturday afternoon this year. The weekend will offer the opportunity for more relaxed preparations than on a school day, and it will mean that perhaps the little ones will be able to start earlier than usual — or stay out later.

It also means, though, that more vehicles may be out on village, hamlet and country roads. Common sense says the opportunity for confronting more drivers, and perhaps more drivers under the influence of alcohol, is increased on Saturday. That could spell trouble for the kids.

We therefore urge anyone tempted to stray from the best driving practices to refrain — always, of course, but especially this Saturday, when the streets and roads will be littered with children, some dressed in dark costumes and not paying attention to best pedestrian practices.

Halloween should be a real treat for children. It's the one day in the year when they're welcomed to strangers' houses to collect a treasury of sweets and other goodies.

For the sake of neighbors who for any number of reasons may not want to participate in the activities, we encourage parents to tell their children not to go to houses where there are no signs of a welcome, such as a porch or yard light. Some people, because of age or infirmity, are not able to join in the fun.

As a gesture of common courtesy, restrict hours of trick-or-treating to before or after dinner — say, 6 to around 8 p.m. Many people are afraid or otherwise put off by a doorbell ringing much after 8. Surely, by 9, nobody should be showing up looking for handouts.

There are always reports — mostly unattributed — of candy being tampered with. They usually turn out to be unfounded. But parents who are concerned have numerous alternatives to regular trick-or-treating.

If door-to-door solicitation isn't your — or your children's — cup of tea, plenty of alternative community activities are going on around the North Country this weekend. Check today's Community Calendar in the front section of the Press-Republican for a pretty complete list of such activities.

The City of Plattsburgh is again hosting the extremely well-presented Trick or Treat on Safety Street at the Crete Center, where kids are welcome to browse, "house to house," without fear. Other events are planned in Plattsburgh, Ticonderoga, AuSable, Altona and Elizabethtown.

Here's one piece of good news: We won't return to Standard Time until 2 a.m. Sunday. At least it won't get dark so early Saturday afternoon.

Happy Halloween.