Do you recall the simple fun of our old Bedford Halloween? That whole week of school was filled with fun activities. Our beloved 6th-grade art teacher, Mrs. Polling, had her Egyptian-themed mummy wrap project, complete with music to enhance the experience. Fifth grade’s Mrs. Hilty had word-search games and a Halloween party in class. Do you remember that joyous feeling of the TV cart being rolled in for a cartoon or movie, or maybe the class sitting in a circle on the floor, listening closely while the teacher read a scary story? Carla Casserlie (Woods) remembers, while attending Carylwood Intermediate School, Heskett Middle School would have a haunted house in the wrestling room of the gym for an after-school scare.
Then the big day came when you’d wear your costume to school and parade through each class or head outside to the playground for the chance to see each other in our finely crafted disguises.
Some of the popular costumes of the ’80s/’90s were those hard plastic masks of superheroes that never quite fit properly, or maybe something more homemade involving your grandpa’s old military coat. Shannon Fletterich (Beal) remembers her mom’s handmade costumes, which were passed down from oldest to youngest as the years went by.
For the boys: Ghostbusters, ninjas, Ninja Turtles, football and baseball players, cowboys, clowns, and bank robbers were popular costumes. Funny, most of the guys I asked (including myself) couldn’t remember a single costume they wore without referencing a picture. However, the girls seem to remember the specifics much more. Erin Douglas (Long) remembers her plastic-faced Smurf costume. Kristina Banks (Bartlett) recalls dressing up as a pair of dice with her friend Mindy Fischer (Malone). Gwen Jimmere remembers being Princess Toadstool in 5th grade. Do you remember your costumes?
The sidewalks of our haunted neighborhood were filled with kids going door to door for a treat. Most houses had the typical snack-sized candy, but some heroes actually had full-sized bars. There were also the one or two houses that handed out a bag of pennies or dental floss. A nice sentiment, but a disappointment to the sugar-addicted kid. It seemed like more houses had their porch lights on inviting kids to the door back then but i suppose it depends on which neighborhood you’re in now.
Long before smartphones, there were only a few times a year you’d line up with your friends or siblings and get your picture taken by Mom. Halloween was one of them. Maybe it’s just my rose-colored glasses, but Halloween felt like more of a shared experience back then. We all talked about the fun Halloween episodes of Roseanne, The Fresh Prince, Full House, The Simpsons, and countless others. Now, most of us have different streaming services and no longer have that shared experience. Before social media, our world was much smaller. We never concerned ourselves with much outside of our Bedford bubble. I think that made our time together even more special. I don’t know if kids today have a similar experience or connection to Halloween as we did but, I often feel grateful to have grown up in the 80’s/90’s. I’m sure a lot has changed with Halloween. But the old world still exists underneath the layers of our new daily distractions. You just have to peel them away to find it.
