Saturday, November 1, 2014

Halloween...Halloween... "Who does that anymore?"


----- Original Message -----
From: T      H   
To: undisclosed recipients
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2014 11:23 PM
Subject: Halloween Memories

Handed out candy this evening as I do every year. Same old ,same old. In our day there weren't too many kids, in my set, wearing masks. Burnt cork on the face & hands and wearing old clothes, we went as negro hobos or pirates. The treats were sometimes sticky rice krispy treats or homemade caramel apples. Both wrapped in waxed paper. After hitting the neighborhood homes we headed downtown to the Boys Club. But first, the required stops at Hanna's, Long's and Scotty's and that bar near St. Bernard's. There the bartenders gave out the nickel bags of potato chips or peanuts. The patrons, caught off guard by our trick or treating, only had the coins on their tables to offer. Which is what we were after. Then to the Boys Club (Memorial Hall) for some entertainment. Usually some damn magician. Once there was a State Police officer shooting targets and even letting a Thompson Submachine gun rip. Once I recall a fellow playing a very large harmonica. He'd inflate a huge balloon and place it over the keys at one end of the scale and play the rest of the keys like a bagpipe. Was something to awe about the next school day. Then the costume judging contest. Certain costume categories were called on stage and a judge would hold a hand over each entry, in turn, and the applause meter would decide the winner. On the way home our much anticipated revenge was coming to the cheap neighborhood adult losers. The old dog turd in a paper sack trick set afire and our hurried departure after knocking on the door. Who does that anymore?
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As you may know, the word for a person in their seventies (70's) is septuagenarian.

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