(Pumpkin my brothers carved with some friends . . . Transformers!)
Once upon a time Trick or Treat meant something.
Once upon a time Tricks were all the rage on All Hallows Eve.
In 1897 the Chanute Daily Tribune in Kansas describes the horror found on November 1st, the night after the terror:
"The
sewer pipe was rolled into the big ditch and some of it broken. Thomas'
wagon was broken, gates were taken off and in some instances lost,
outhouses thrown over and broken up and in some places the sidewalks
were torn up."
This happened every year. Kids would walk the streets causing as much mischief as possible. (Where were the parents!!!??) There were many communities that were ravaged by vandalism, and communities tried everything they could, including threats of jail time.
Then in Hiawatha Kansas a lady named Mrs. John Krebs had had enough. On November 1st she woke up to find her flower bed and fence destroyed, ruining all her hard work. She cooked up an idea to help save her future garden and town. The first year she hosted a party at her home, hoping the children would come instead of causing problems. For the most part it worked, but not all children came, and there was still destruction. The next year, 1914, she planned a Halloween costume parade, and this time it was a Huge success, no vandalism, and it's a tradition that continues today as the Hiawatha Parade and Frolic.
One person can make a difference.
(Information gathered from the above links and Mysteries at the Museum on the Travel Channel.)
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