In one five year period of a Halloween kid's memories (my own), we -- the family up to that point -- lived in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Justice, Illinois, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Hence, Halloweens were quite varied, while retaining a common thread.
I remember being real little, parading in Halloween costume with a bunch of other kids, parents and maybe teachers guiding us along. A Halloween parade. I vaguely remember trick or treating this way in the neighborood where we lived. It was fun. I remember some of the costumes from that year and maybe the year or two afterwards, maybe three: for the boys, Batman, Green Hornet and Kato, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, Secret Agent/Danger Man, soldiers, cops and firemen. For the girls, I remember witches, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and among older girls, cheerleaders with pom poms. There were devils, too, and pirates. I don't really remember vampires until Dark Shadows came along, when we lived outside of Chicago. Nor zombies. But let's not forget Snoopy & the Red Baron! We had the Royal Guardsmen record pictured above -- I still have it.
All the way back to my first Halloween memories, then blended forward to about eight years old: decorations like Jack O'Lanterns and orange streamers. Pennies for UNICEF. Candies -- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Twizzlers, Pixy Stix and SweeTarts (aka Sweet Tarts). Warnings about razorblades-in-apples were there from the beginning -- take care poking through your sack! When we heard about the Boston Strangler, we were spooked. And tales of Mary Worth. But now I remember astronaut costumes, too. . . We were going to the Moon . . .
How about you?
Happy Halloween everybody!
Today's Rune: Wholeness.
5 comments:
I usually had mostly a mask when I was little, but once I remember going as a cowboy.
Erik, I have much of the same memories, with a hayride or two thrown in! And then hours spent sorting and trading with my brother and sister!
Years ago there was a Halloween parade for kids, then one at night for older folks in Strousdburg, Pa. It was a community affair.
The parade you recall was from the Lab school and kids marched down Ridgeway and around the block to the campus school again.
A belated happy Halloween--from Transylvania.
Yep. I was born in those parts.
--Zoltan Carpathy. :)
Thanks all for the comments -- much appreciated! Masks abounded aspart of the costumes, yes indeed. Jody, not sure how much time I spent with my older sisters dividing candy, etc. Anon -- excellent, This evokes even more questions! Merci, to Transylvania!
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