Luminaria is, hands down, one of our neighborhood's most beloved traditions, perhaps because it's such a pure expression of holiday spirit: light Luminaria bag, bask in soft glow and neighborly cheer, and reflect on what the season really means.
In recent years, Luminaria has also become a rather raucous party scene . . . and while we love seeing all the cars decorated in Christmas lights, and enjoy bumping into our neighbors out on the streets, and happily accept the many cups of eggnog we're offered as we around to check out the lights, one thing needs to be said loud and clear: All that candy throwing has become a real problem. We know . . . you've all got some stuff leftover from Halloween, and Luminaria seems like a great time to share it with the neighborhood's kids, but--honestly--it's getting dangerous out there.
The practice of throwing candy from cars and trailers by participants of the St Johns Avenue parade, though seemingly part of the fun, has been known to injure people when hit by hard candy flying through the air. The dangers from candy throwing linger for days after Luminaria, as pets have consumed the candy on the ground. Birds and wildlife have ingested plastic candy wrappers and died. Not to mention that the homeowners along St. Johns Avenue are pretty tired of having to deal with all that sticky trash in their yards and driveways.
We hope individuals can find other ways to enjoy Luminaria and ask parents to take responsibility for their children by explaining why the ban on candy throwing is necessary. RAP wants everyone to have a safe and fun Luminaria night! See you there!
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