Trick-or-Treat of days gone by
- Kyle Snyder: Live on Purpose
- October 26, 2019
- 1049
I actually like seeing kids dress up for Halloween to go trick-or-treating. It puts a smile on my face, watching kids be kids and having fun getting candy.
I know Halloween can have a dark side, but I’m not talking about that sinister aspect, but the fun part. In Clark, trick-or-treating was always a blast. The little, sleepy village came alive and was buzzing with activity. A lot of people knew each other, and it just was a good night when the whole town could come together and be neighborly.
As I grew up and got too old to go door to door begging for candy, I enjoyed passing out the treats. Seeing little ghosts, princesses, pirates and more just made my heart happy. I loved doing good, and giving out candy, I knew I was doing so.
Later, the church in town acquired the building next door and started a little community center. Every Trick-or-Treat night they have doughnuts, apple cider, hot chocolate and coffee for kids and the adults. It provides a nice place to enjoy other people and the costumes. The kids would trick-or-treat for a while, then come to the center and have a break and go back out to get more candy.
Because my mom helped out at the center, I would go pick on the neighbor while he was passing out candy. We always joked around with each other that if I didn’t pick on him, he would think I didn’t like him any more, and I couldn’t have that. People who grew up with me now bring their kids around for Trick-or-Treat, and I joke around with them a little bit as well.
Trick-or-treating in Clark reminds me of one big family reunion. You see people who you don’t see very much throughout the year, and you can act stupid, and that is just fine (as long as no one gets hurt).
When I was in school, we had a big Halloween party in each of our classrooms. I still can remember having popcorn, crackers and cookies with icing on them sitting on a paper towel at our desk. Then each class from kindergarten to third grade would put on their costumes and go from class to class so the other kids could see what we were wearing. We did get a small bag of candy, but right now it escapes me where it came from. I think our teachers gave them to us.
I remember we watched a movie in our classroom. We saw “Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin” and my favorite, “Ernest Scared Stupid.”
I always remember that big tree house Ernest had. It looked like someone put a tiny house with a big deck up in the trees.
I know my favorite part was getting the candy. Sometimes I would even say, “Candy, candy, candy.”
Without a doubt, getting candy was at the top of my list. I don’t ever remember getting a bellyache from eating too much.
The day after Trick-or-Treat, I would go to school, and we would tell each other what kind of haul we brought in. I still remember one old lady: If she ran out of candy, she would give us pennies. We tried to get to her house as soon as possible so we wouldn’t get stuck with a handful of copper coins.
I hope you enjoy my stories about Halloween as much as I enjoyed writing about them. Happy Halloween everybody.