Looking Back: Remembering Halloween from yesteryear

It’s almost time for Halloween and sometimes adults have as much fun as kids on this holiday.

Looking back to the 1950s when I went “trick-or-treating” the costumes were pretty simple. Most kids dressed as witches, ghosts, hobos or vampires. Celebrity or movie related costumes were not popular like they are today. Many of us wore homemade outfits with just the mask purchased at a store. Large paper bags from grocery stores or old pillow cases held our candy.

We went from door to door with friends. We were instructed to go only to the houses in our immediate neighborhood. If an outside light was not turned on we were to pass by that house. Back then parents knew their neighbors and safety concerns didn’t seem to be an issue.

We all dreaded the houses that handed out apples. There were always a few people who wanted to give us something healthy and that didn’t count as a “treat” to us!

As we got a little older, around 10 or 11 years old, we sometimes went “trick-or-treating” with a friend who lived in a different neighborhood. Doing that made us feel quite grown up. It also meant that age was catching up with us and our time to collect candy was about to end.

One Halloween I wanted to wear the mask of “Tramp” the dog from the Disney movie “Lady and the Tramp.” I was 11 at the time and it was probably the “last hurrah” for me to go from door to door for candy. I only wore the mask and no costume. I needed a warm coat as it was chilly. When I got home with my stash my father decided to play a trick on our next door neighbor, Trudy O’Neill. He put on my mask and covered his head with a hat. He went over and rang her doorbell and when she saw him she said, “Aren’t you a little old to be trick or treating?” He muttered “no” and she tossed an apple into his bag. He pulled off his mask and they both started laughing. She then gave him some candy and he headed back home!

Fast forward to 1984 when I went to work at City Hall… Halloween was celebrated by just about every department and employees wore really creative costumes. Everyone gathered on the steps of the building for a group photo. Candy, purchased by employees, was on the counters for customers to take when they came into the offices. 

I remember Laurie Wentworth (now Walters) made a clown costume for me one year. I bought a wig to wear with it and painted my face. Our cat was petrified and ran down cellar when he saw me! I encountered a slight problem when I went to the downtown banks to make deposits. There was a sign on every door to remove masks before entering. That doesn’t work with face paint. I opened the doors, told them who I was and got ushered in. Problem solved!

Another great costume was made by Cathy Cioffi (now Taggart) for all the employees of the city treasurer’s office. She sewed “money bag” costumes complete with drawstrings at our necks and knees. There was a dollar sign on the front of the bag. We had many comments on that costume as we waited on customers.

The city treasurer’s employees were all females and one year we dressed up to look like our boss, Ron Graves. We wore moustaches, slicked down our hair and wore oxford shirts and pants. If you happened to wear glasses that really added to the resemblance. Ron got as much of a kick out of costumes as all of us did. 

So whether you’re a kid collecting candy or an adult just having a day of fun enjoy Halloween as we all need to “lighten up” once in awhile.

Don’t forget that the annual Halloween parade will take place in downtown Rutland on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 6:30 p.m. with a rain date of Sunday the 29. It’s been around for over 60 years and won’t disappoint!