Treats — not tricks — for goblins and ghouls

Dragon Ayden Salvetti, 15 months old (right), leaps from his stroller to lead princess Dakota Dellinger (from left), 3, her rhinoceros brother, Hunter Dellinger, 6, and deer hunter Jacob Turman, 6, as they trick or treat on Taylor Grace Court in Winchester. (Photo by Scott Mason/The Winchester Star)

Captain America, Teddy Rudolph, 6, and a stern looking Marine, Dalton DeHaven, 8, both of Stephenson, look for treats along Cidermill Lane.

John Gorman, 2, as The Hulk and his brother Jim Gorman, 3, as Captain America share a superhero stroller. (Photo by Scott Mason/The Winchester Star)

WINCHESTER — Ghosts, ghouls and goblins, along with a few superheroes and fictional villains, were out in full force Wednesday night in an annual rite of passage for youths — trick-or-treating.

Countless local children, accompanied by their parents, went door to door through some Winchester neighborhoods, and appeared to find more treats than tricks.

Carole Calder has lived on Melvor Lane, in the city’s Meadow Branch neighborhood on the west side, for about eight years. She said she gives out candy to about 100 children each Halloween.

“There are always a lot of people coming through the neighborhood,” she said. “They’re all just precious. I love the little children.”

While the children were happy to go trick-or-treating, several parents — including Melanie Hempel and Margaret Gorman — were glad Hurricane Sandy didn’t require the city to change dates for the event.

Hempel has brought her 7-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, and 4-year-old son, Kyle — dressed as Wonder Woman and Buzz Lightyear — to the city for the past two years to go trick-or-treating. Hempel, who along with her kids started their night on Melvor Lane, said they like coming to the area because the houses are close together and her children would have more fun than trick-or-treating near their home in Mountain Falls, west of Stephens City.

Also from Mountain Falls, Karen Puryear, 6-year-old son Jalen and 4-year-old daughter Alexxa — dressed as a ninja and Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” — joined the Hempels. Karen said she likes the area because her children can get a lot of candy, joking that she has to sample what they get to make sure the treats taste OK.

The Gormans — John, 2, dressed as the Hulk; Jim, 3, donning a Captain America uniform; Angela, a 10-year-old Snow Queen, and Kate, 13, who chose not to dress up — enjoy going out each year in search of candy.

Their mom, Margaret, said the Winchester family has fun going around Meadow Branch and seeing how much they can collect.

Jodi Gahr and her husband, who moved to Winchester from Ohio several months ago, took their son and daughter out for their first trick-or-treating experience in Virginia. Evan, 11, and Ava, 7, hit the streets as Moses and an angel, respectively.

Ava said she likes the candy and prizes that the festivities can bring, adding that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is her favorite.

Reese’s, along with Kit Kats and Snickers bars, seemed to be the most popular candy among the children Wednesday.

Annette Horton, who belongs to the Winchester Fellowship Bible Church, spent the night with other members handing out apple cider to parents and holding games for children outside a house on Wayne Drive.

“It’s kind of a neighborhood where people will come and park because they can go to all the townhouses and family homes,” Horton said of the Meadow Branch area. “We just wanted to do something fun for the kids and show, just to say this is a welcoming family.”

Teddy Rudolph, an excitable 6-year-old Captain America who came to Winchester from Stephenson with his mom, Angie Rudolph, has been trick-or-treating around Meadow Branch for several years since his baby sitter lives in the area.

“I saw this zombie before and I punched it and it [roared],” Teddy said with enthusiasm. “It got mad at me.”

— Contact Matt Armstrong at marmstrong@winchesterstar.com