One of the things that remains a constant in the human experience is nostalgia. While it’s not a place to move in and live forever, it can be a nice one to visit on occasion.
I was perusing an upcoming fall event I’m interested in working with and the location struck me. It’s being held at the Community Center in the village I grew up in. Which, of course, sent me into nostalgia on the Halloween events that were held there in my early childhood.
You see, in lieu of traditional trick-or-treating, my village did a whole group thing. They’d open the stadium a block from my house to all, give you a necklace upon entry, and host entertainment, costume contests in all the age ranges, etc. One of the middle school teachers would do some elaborate bit every year. It was always a great time! Everybody looked forward to it.
But that wasn’t where it ended. After the show at the stadium was over, the entire village (who attended) would walk en masse across town to the community center. Very few drove it. There, you could trade in your necklace for a big bag of Halloween treats. Fiddle Faddle was always a featured item, as were an apple and orange, if memory serves. The rest of the bag was filled full with candy.
It was safe. It was inclusive. It brought people together in celebration. And, of course, little me loved that it often coincided with my birthday 🙂 Unfortunately, it was also gone by the time I became an adult, so my kids’ generation didn’t get to experience it. With the huge disconnect that exists these days between people and place, I’d love to see something like this return and spread to as many areas as will embrace it.
For now, however, it exists in the nostalgia of the people who were there.
Happy October, everyone!
