When I was young, I loved Halloween. Each year at Halloween time, we would have an afternoon school carnival. Kids would wear their costumes to school on that day. Then the last two hours or so of the school day was the Halloween carnival.
The carnival was held in the gym. The teachers and parents would set up booths with various activities where you could win prizes. I liked participating in the activities. I liked winning prizes.
We did not have a ward Halloween party. I don't think "trunk or treat" had been invented yet (at least not in our ward and stake). On Halloween night, Mom would put us in the car and we would drive all around town to go trick-or-treating. Cade, Cory, and I each had a large plastic jack-o-lantern bucket to collect candy. Mom would drive to a neighbor. We would all get out of the car and run to the door of the neighbor and get a treat. Then get back in the car and drive to the next house.
We had some neighbors who were legendary for their enacted trick-or-treating experience. Pete Aullman was not a member of the church at that time (I seem to remember that he joined the church several years later). Thus, I did not know Pete very well because he did not come to church. But his wife Ada Aullman was a member and was usually at church. She made wonderful homemade treats to hand out at Halloween (e.g., popcorn balls, cookies, etc.). I liked to go to her house to get yummy treats.
However, when you went trick or treating at the Aullman's house, they would invite you inside the living room to see your costume and hand out the treats. Pete Aullman always insisted that you had to sing a song to get your treat. We sang many a primary song in their house.
The McKims were legendary because they would put a stuffed figure (pants and shirt stuffed with straw) sitting on a straw bale on their front porch. The figure would have a grotesque mask (e.g., gorilla, creepy man, etc.). The porch would not be lit very well. After we knocked on the house door, Brother McKim (later Bishop McKim) would answer the door and point to a box sitting at the feet of the stuffed figure. We were supposed to reach into the box and get our treat. At least one time, I remember full-size Snickers bars. However, when you reached into the box, the figure would give an eerie groan. SCARY for a small child.
One year (Cory was about 4 or 5), we went to the Petersen's house (Verl and Ruth). The Petersens lived in town. So we walked from the next-door neighbor's house to the Petersen's house. We walked up the driveway and their front steps to their door.
That night, we had a bit of inter-sibling rivalry occuring about who would ring the doorbell at the next house. After the Petersens gave us a treat, Cory wanted to get to the next house first to ring the doorbell. So, he jumped off the front steps and ran across the lawn to go down the street to the neighbors.
Cory did not realize that the Petersens had a decorative front yard fence which consisted of one cable strung between posts. The cable was about three feet off the ground. Naturally, it was after sunset and visibility was low. As Cory ran out of the Petersen's yard, the cable hit him right in his upper chest. It was a perfect "clothesline maneuver."
Cory's feet went flying out from under him. Cory claims he did a full "loop de loop" around the cable! But he did not drop his pumpkin candy bucket.
.jpeg)