Halloween in the Magic City....
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| The black knight of Barberton |
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| Autumn gold at Lake Anna |
Barberton has always been "good pickin's" when it came to trick or treating goodies. As a kid from the Howdy Doody era, it was always a great ritual to plan a costume to be made by my mother. Those were times when one need not worry about the treats that were handed out. Nothing was poisoned, or contained anything sharp inside. Homemade cookies and caramel or candied apples were the norm. Of course we kids always preferred the big candy bars. The neighborhood "beer joints" let kids come in for treats. They always gave the best candy bars. No one gave a thought to some pervert bothering the kids. It seemed those places usually required a parent taking the kids in to get their candy. Often times someone sat outside the main door to hand out candy. One time, my cousins and I saw some older boys soap the windows of a tavern because the bartender wouldn't give them candy because they were too old for trick or treating. We went into the bar and told the bartender what had happened. He was so impressed with us that he gave us our pick of the best of his expensive candy bars. Of course we said our thank-yous to him. We had not expected to be rewarded for our report of vandalism. Our parents always went with us to do our scrounging of the neighborhoods for the precious candy. My cousins came from Akron to hit the Barberton neighborhoods with me in pursuit of the sweet rewards. We all had pillow cases full of every candy known to mankind. The following night I was taken over to my cousins' neighborhood in Akron to continue the great candy heist. When all was done, it seemed that I personally hauled in six pillow cases of the big sugar load. As excited as I was with my new found candy wealth, I can't remember ever being allowed to consume much of it. Somehow most of it disappeared before I could get to it. Any tasting of treats was only by permission of my parents. Sweet memories!
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| Invading Pumpkins |
One little part of the ritualistic sorting of the various candies was that of deciding on my favorites. My favorite was a penny candy called Smarties. They were of course solid sugar with no redeeming health benefits to them, but they served a dual purpose. Wise woman that she was, my mother squirreled away some of the little rolls of candy for later days. Whenever I was having a blue day she produced a roll of Smarties to cheer me up. She called them "Smile Pills", and guaranteed that they would make me smile. It seemed she was right, as I was never able to not start smiling as I gobbled up the tasty little tablets. Good times...
So, it is Halloween, and I am pondering childhood memories of favorite costumes and candy. The smell of leaves and the sounds of wind in the wind-chimes were about as spooky as it got back in my youth. That was just fine. There was no fear of chainsaw massacres or horrible demons coming from somewhere to devour you. It was all just simple costume masquerading, a break from the everyday routine, with simple rewards of socializing and sweet treats. It was the one time we youngsters could become our inner heroes, a fantasy persona influenced in great part by Walt Disney, or someone magic. Zombies and Frankenstein were way too scary and rarely seen. So , as you see those little princesses and fairy creatures ringing your doorbell accompanied by short versions of super heroes, be appreciative of their imaginations and their initiative. Try to give them healthier treats for their efforts and remember they are just wanting to have a good time. You can help them to find just what "a good time" should be by not being so gruesome and horrifying. A bit of glitter and magic can go a long way to create fun. As one who grew up in the Magic City, I know what I'm talking about To all you ghosties and goblins, I hope you create some happy Halloween memories....
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| Pumpkin Master |
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