[Ansteorra] What happened to Halloween (was Lead *Rant*)

[Rhonda & Stefen Hays]

Yeah, I remember when it changed.  But I got lucky, both of my kids have had 
some good neighborhoods to hit up during their younger years.  When my 
eldest was out begging candy, I lived in a historic area of Fort Worth and 
we just hit up the neighborhood.  When I found myself a single mom, we 
celebrated with a  friend who lived in a subdivision that made trick or 
treating an art form.  Now that my son is in college and my daughter is 9, 
we live in the country, but we "go into town" and she hits up the historic 
district in Weatherford, one of those small towns that takes Halloween 
seriously.  There are parties on every church parking lot and at Weatherford 
College, but the there are at least 3 or 4 neighborhoods that make me feel 
like I have time warped back to my childhood.

Here's a wish that everyone get to have at least one happy and safe All 
Hallow's Eve.

Druinne

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Silverhands" <silverhands at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." <ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 10:42 AM
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] What happened to Halloween (was Lead *Rant*)


>
> On Oct 29, 2006, at 7:46 AM, Robin Craig wrote:
>
>> You know, its not only warning labels, it affects our traditions
>> too.  To my knowledge, no one ever put razorblades in candy apples or
>> poisoned popcorn balls on halloween. Yet, the tradition of trick or
>> treating is now becoming a tradition of going to the mall instead
>> because of this fear.  Last week I saw a show on the news about the
>> threat of child molesters and halloween and I thought to myself,
>> don't parents go with and supervise their kids while trick or
>> treating?  Mine did. Even when I was older.  I may not have liked it,
>> but if I wanted the candy....
>>
>> -Robin Anderson of Ross
>>
>
> When I was a kid, none of those things were problems. Kids went trick-
> or-treating, typically on their own block but sometimes ranging
> further afield -- maybe walking to the next block over, or taking
> your bike to the other side of the neighborhood. It was safe -- not
> because there were lots of precautions, but because there was no need
> of them -- and it was fun.
>
> In 1974, Ronald Clark O'Bryan -- a whack job in Pasadena (a suburb of
> Houston, where I grew up) -- murdered his son for the insurance
> money. He chose to do so by putting cyanide-laced Pixie Stix into his
> son's Halloweed candy bags. This killed his son, but it also
> effectively killed Halloween trick-or-treating in Houston (if not the
> whole state) for several years. Right about that same time, another
> whack job decided to put razor blades into some candied apples --
> again, it turned out, hoping to injure their own child(ren?).
>
> When Halloween trick-or-treating re-emerged, it was closer to what it
> is now (block parties, parents accompanying their kids, trick-or-
> treating at the mall, carloads of kids and teenagers cruising other
> neighborhoods than their own, etc.) than it had been before. But just
> keep in mind: those aren't "ancient traditions". Things have only
> been like this for about 30 years (give or take). If you're in your
> 30's now (or younger), then "it's always been that way". If you're in
> your 40's (or older), then you remember when it changed.
>
> Michael
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