The year was 1991.

I was nine years old and, like all fourth-graders, looking forward to a fun night of trick-or-treating with my neighborhood friends. However, a giant snowstorm completely dumped on those plans... by the time it was dark, the snow was nearly up to my shoulders and it was not safe to be running around outdoors.

Luckily, the Burnsville Mall was right up the road and they were offering a chance to trick-or-treat indoors. It was a very new concept at the time but it actually went great and I went home with a ton of candy!

The best part was my costume: Hannibal Lecter! My dad had gotten a straitjacket from somewhere, then bought the facemask that looked like the one on Silence Of The Lambs and smeared it with blood.

The finishing touch was a hand-truck that my dad pushed me around the mall on. It was a blast and if any pictures of it existed I would happily share them!

This year's forecast isn't calling for a monster storm, but the outlook isn't great. There could be up to three inches of snow on Halloween and it could mix with rain to make trick-or-treating a pain.

That's where Crossroads Center in St. Cloud comes in! They are offering a Mall-O-Ween event from 4-7 p.m. on Halloween. Let's bring the party indoors!

The event is set to include Trick-or-Treating from 4-7, with participating businesses displaying an orange pumpkin, Halloween Crafts from 3-7, Balloon Sculpting from 3-6 and Caricature Drawings from 4-6.

Presidential/Vice Presidential Visits to St. Cloud