How about some Halloween
fun from over a hundred years ago. Marion in the early 1900’s was
a festive place, and it seems Halloween was a favorite time for
having fun parties
The young people knew
how to throw an entertaining party, with good food, exciting
imaginary games, and good friends. Their parties seemed to not get
started until very late in the evenings and would continue until the
morning hours.
Delightful Halloween
Reception. (October 31, 1904)
Mesdames J. W. Blue and
J. H. Orme gave the first of the season Halloween entertainments at
the residence of Mayor J. W. Blue, on the corner of College St., and
Wilson Avenue.
Among those who attended
were noted the following: Mesdames Ollie M. James, Henry H. Sayre,
C. Maxwell, Thomas H. Cochran, Sidney M. Jenkins, Wm. J. Deboe, I. H.
Clement, Chas. Evans, Avery H. Reed, George M. Crider, John J. Clark,
Harry A. Haynes, Robert F. Haynes, Frank Walker, Thos. Clifton, E. J.
Hayward, George C. Gray, Perry D. Maxwell, Henry K. Woods, Clem S.
Nunn and James R. McFee.
Guests were first
ushered into the reception hall and then all invited to the Halloween
room where beautiful decorations of pumpkin vines, apples and
oranges; sketches of witches riding broom sticks, skulls and cross
bones, bats and skeletons were galore. Candies of different kinds
and colors gave a soft glow to the jack- o’-lanterns.
Several contests were
indulged in such as bean and candle, guessing the number of candies,
witches, etc. After this a “nose contest” which was the most
enjoyable of all.
Guests were then invited
into the dining room where they feasted on cider, pumpkin pie, ginger
bread and other good things of the Halloween season.
Souvenirs were presented
to each guest and a most enjoyable time was had, and the season’s
reception was opened auspiciously.
***
Another party going in
town that same night was being hosted by Mrs. Jim Henry, assisted by
Mrs. Charley Moore. They very delightfully entertained a crowd of
young people in her home on West Belleville Street. Games and
contests were engaged in.
Henry Haynes won the
prizes given for the “Advertisement Contest.” Miss Daisy Towery,
also, won a prize. It being Halloween, of course, fortune telling
was popular, each one drawing his or her fate from a pumpkin.
At another popular
household in town a Phantom Party was being held. As the young
people arrived, the young ladies were ushered into one room and the
young gentlemen into another, there each guest was robed in white
from head to foot, all the robes being precisely alike.
All then assembled and
for more than an hour these grave specters wandered about and it was
impossible to recognize any one.
At nine o’clock the
phantoms paired off and then each mask was lowered and instead of the
death like countenance of the ghost was seen the happy face of some
young lady or gentleman.
Refreshments were served
and at 11 o’clock the young people dispersed, all agreeing they
had a delightful time.
***
I remember the Halloween parties that we would have when I was growing up in the 1950's. It would usually be in someone's basement. It would be decorated with simple home make decorations of cardboard witches and bats, and also the streamers of creme paper, which would be black and orange braided together to make chains that would be drapes around everything. Some of the "refreshments" would be given out with everyone's blindfolded, as to imagine that grapes were eye-balls, spaghetti as brains, and what ever the host family could dream up that would be scary feeling. The real refreshments were usually home-made popcorn balls, caramel apples and home-made fudge. What fun and care-free times.
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