Washington Co., WI – Costumes have changed but many Halloween traditions have stayed the same. Below are local memories from Halloweens past including embarrassingly treasured homemade outfits and candy swapping on the kitchen floor.
Shelly Kehoe of West Bend – “We’d spread all our candy around on the floor. We had so much I just felt like rolling in it, like we were filthy rich in candy. Halloween, I loved it.”
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JB Anon of West Bend – “I don’t think any of my friends had store-bought outfits for Halloween. That almost seemed too fake. I remember a witch, which was a hat made out of black construction paper, black clothes, and the black nylon cape that my mom put around us when she cut our hair. A paper bag was always the candy catcher and candy bars were the favorite. Circus peanuts were the worst.”
Jacci Gambucci of West Bend – “Halloween was in the dark. Our parents did not come along and had no way of knowing where we were. We had no cell phones, they just trusted we would land safely back on our own doorstep. A pillowcase was the container of choice – large, strong, easy to carry. We made a beeline to the “pillar house” on Spring Street because they gave full size boxes of Cracker Jack. Worst treats were popcorn ball and candy corn. Costumes were definitely homemade, with the exception of perhaps a store-bought witches’ hat.”
Lori Lynn-Radloff of West Bend – “I remember going into Kliner’s Club, I lived down the street across from the bar on Park Avenue by Regner. When a group of kids walked in, he would throw a handful of “full size” candy bars (those “big” candy bars were a big deal) on the floor and we would dive to get them. Sometimes people would give us pennies or apples. I do remember we never worried about what was in our bag. I don’t remember our parents checking our candy at the end of the night.”
Click HERE for trick-or-treat days and times in Washington County.
