Halloween treats other than candy

What do you do when you Trick or Treat?
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Pumpkin_Man
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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Pumpkin_Man » Wed May 22, 2013 3:16 pm

I actualy remember those Reeses Peanutbutter Cookie treats, and I agree. They were quite good. The "Twixt" candy bars with peanut butter are also pretty good.

The thing is, I LOVE good carmel, both the harder chewy kind and the softer kind, and Slow Pokes were among my favs.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by NeverMore » Wed May 22, 2013 9:08 pm

Pumpkin56 wrote:Nevermore, you need to follow up your treat post with a post on how to burn 3000 calories after eating one of those things 8)
Come work with me for a couple hours, that'll do it. I'm pooped!

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by jadewik » Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm

One of my friends, who used to live nearby, had a daughter who had a really severe peanut and soy allergy... which meant her daughter couldn't have practically ANY candy at Halloween (Though, I think we did discover she could have DumDums... and, later, she outgrew the soy allergy.)

So... because I didn't want her daughter to not-like Halloween, I went out of my way to find things she could have-- most of them were non-food items.

Over the course of several years, I've given out:
Play-Doh, 8" Glow Bracelets, Gliders, Bracelets, Bouncy Balls, pencils, mini hair clips, non-Halloween temp tattoos, pirate dog tags, mini playing card sets, kazoos, squishy frogs, bat rings, stickers... and probably a whole mess of other things I'm forgetting.

I used to do "bags" with all that stuff in 'em... but I have issues spending that much money these days when money is so tough to come by... and +100 kids are bussed into my neighborhood. It gets expensive and I'm not rich by any means-- I just used to save money for Halloween year-round. LOL.

Now, I just get 6 bags of candy from CostCo and do "treat bags" for family and friends-- most of them I ship out to kids who have moved away.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Pumpkin_Man » Thu May 23, 2013 3:30 pm

Once I received a rubberband powered propeller driven glider in my ToT bag. It was realy neat. It wasn't the best Halloween I ever had as a kid, though.

Back in 1968, I was 8 years old, and there was an elderly gentleman living in a rather reclusive looking older house who everyone was afraid to go to because of some of the stories being told about him. Amont others, everyone thought he was a "bum." For those of you who don't know, a "bum," according to Mt. Greenwood Mythology was a wearwolf like creature.

Anyway, I didn't believe any of those stories, and on a "dare" from another kid, I went up to his door on Halloween of that year and 'Trick or Treat ed" He was so happy to see a child who wasn't afraid of him, that he dropped a 1 pound Hershey bar and a 10 dollar bill into my ToT bag. In 1968, 10 dollars bought a lot more then it does today.

I spent about 6 bucks on Wolworth's top of the line pocket AM radio. I also bought a Beatles album, (It sold for a dollar-twenty five) about 3 45rpm singles (quarter a piece) and had lunch and desert at the Wolfworths lunch counter. The store was located at the corner of 111th and Kedsie.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Murfreesboro » Fri May 24, 2013 9:49 am

Jadewik, those sound like great treats for kids who have food allergies. I suppose you know all about Oriental Traders, who sell lots of stuff like that dirt cheap. Schoolteachers order from them all the time.

When I was a child there was a couple in our neighborhood who always gave out nickels for Halloween. They would present a big bowl of them, and you could reach in and grab a handful, though I was timid and never got more than one or two. But it was such a blast to visit the "nickel people" every year. Years later, I learned that the woman was John Crowe Ransom's sister (Ransom having been one of the well-known Fugitive-Agrarian poets up at Vanderbilt, part of Robert Penn Warren's circle).

Mike, I remember Slow Pokes! I bet you could find that candy already at a Cracker Barrel restaurant & country store. They specialize in nostalgia.

ETA: Oh, man, I skimmed back through this thread, and almost everything I said in this post, I had already said up above! LOL

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Pumpkin_Man » Thu Jun 06, 2013 10:24 am

The Casey's General Store has Slo Pokes for sale right now, and they stock more of them in October.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by MauEvig » Mon Oct 14, 2013 11:05 pm

Kolchak wrote:Goober is a common slang in the South for peanuts. More of a Georgia thing and for us older folks; we've called peanuts, Carters Gold. A referance to the former peanut farmer turned president. Truth is he was NEVER a peanut farmer. His family ran the business. And I guess a good case could be made he was NEVER a president! :lol: :lol: :wink:

The popcorn balls were cool as were the carmel and candy covered apples. Last year the Target near me sold carmel apples and popcorn balls for Halloween.

I think I've said this before but bares repeating. Most of the stories you've heard about razor blades in apples are urban legends. I can only recall this happening once in twenty years. Most hospitals and police departments will x-ray candy and apples during Halloween for free too.
It's no urban legend. It actually happened to my cousin. She told me once she bit into a piece of candy and found a razor blade that cut her tongue. Thankfully it wasn't a serious injury.

I have to agree this is why I wouldn't make home made candy, people would just get too suspicious about it so why go through the effort? I'm sure making homemade sweets for friends and family would be ok though. I bought a Halloween themed cake mix and frosting to whip up for the big day.

But my favorite thing to get in a trick or treat bag that wasn't candy were those French Fry vouchers from Burger King. That was a cool idea, and you know with a french fry voucher, you're still getting a treat without having to worry about any strings attached. All you have to do is go to Burger King to redeem them. Burger King used to give them out in booklets, but then they started giving out the sheets that had the other treats on them. If you bought a sheet they were only a dollar, you got 5 different treats and the donation went to a local hospital.
Not sure if my local burger king will do that, but they did in my home state and that was a cool idea. I imagine you'd have to get quite a few of those sheets to satisfy all the ghosts and goblins that come to your door. I think Wendys does something similar, but you have to be 12 or under to redeem them and I think that's kind of lame. I found the Burger King ones were a real cost saver to be honest. lol!
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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Pumpkin_Man » Wed Oct 16, 2013 2:46 pm

I haven't seen any of those fast food chains do anything for Trick or Treat any more. Theu sure use to, though. There was a burger place that use to do that in my old neighborhood. Russel's Ranch, it was called. Their specialty was soft serve ice cream, but they also had great sanwiches, too. The owner once gave out free small ice cream cones for ToT one year, but only to those who were under the age of 12. It was pretty neat.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Kolchak » Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:44 pm

It's considered an urban legend in that its origin started without a basis in fact. It was only after being talked about in school and read about in pulp books and seen in scary movies like in Halloween II, that sick minded individuals tried to make the legend into reality.

As I said in my original post, after 20 years of being a cop in a heavily populated county in suburban Atlanta, I only know of one confirmed case. Sure there could have been more cases but if you stop and think about it, the razor blade in the apple is one of the oldest dirty tricks there is. Kids and parents will be highly suspect of anyone giving out apples in fact.

I don't know of a single family that gives apples out during Halloween because of this story. It would be very easy in 99% of the cases to find who gave out the apple since it is not a regular treat. That in and of itself is enough to keep that type of criminal behavior in check. Such a low life scumbag that would stoop so low as to hurt an innocent child probably has a neighborhood reputation for doing other things, that word would get out quick and he'd find himself in legal hot water really quick.

But vigilance is necessary now-a-days in all things dealing with children and on nights like Halloween it is always safer to err on the side of caution.

Don't let them take any unwrapped food item.

Have the kids Trick or Treat in groups of 4 or more.

Have an adult nearby as chaperone.

Make the kids carry flashlights and reflective clothing.

Give them an alarm whistle.

Keep them in a neighborhood you are comfortable with, and keep them in it.

Give them a time limit to be home.

Inspect all candy and goodies they bring home.

If in doubt, then throw it out.

As I said in my previous post, local hospitals will x-ray candy during Halloween. Call around the week before Halloween to find the hospital in your area that will do it.

Not trying to scare anybody, but your child has a much greater chance of being kidnapped by the low life predators out there during Halloween, than they do of having someone put a razor blade in an apple or spike their candy with LSD.

Vigilance.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by MauEvig » Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:59 pm

OK I see what you mean then. Like I said it happened before with my cousin, and thankfully she's fine now, she's an adult and has kids of her own.
You do have a good point Kolchak. I never trick or treated without one of my parents with me when I was a kid. Back in the 90's it seemed like that's when all the scares of kid napping happened. I don't have kids of my own but I'd still feel awful if something happened to an innocent child, plus it would really ruin Halloween for everyone if it did happen. I think that's why bans on trick or treating are happening, and trick or treating is getting replaced with things like school and church activities. Still, I rather see Halloween celebrated by having local churches, businesses and schools giving out the candy than have it go away entirely. One time I went trick or treating it was at a grocery store and it was a big opening event where all the free candy came from the store itself and you went around the store to different areas, and the whole place was decorated for Halloween. I'll always remember that Halloween because it snowed when we went out into the parking lot.

On a side note, Halloween isn't the only time you have to worry about razor blades. When I was in school in the lunch room they'd make sandwiches and apparently a sneaky kid had snuck a razor blade in one of them. Thankfully it didn't happen to me, it was just something I'd heard about.

That really sounds awesome Mike, it's too bad they didn't do anything like that where I lived. It would've been awesome to have an ice cream shop that would give out fall flavors for young kids. However, most ice cream shops usually close up I think around September or so and re open in the Spring.
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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Kolchak » Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:35 pm

You reminded me that around here, the larger shopping malls have been having an early Halloween now for about 10 or so years. They pick a night and the parents bring their children to the mall and walk with them as they go from store to store and get candy. Obviously it is a win-win situation since the parents know where the candy is coming from, the trick or treating is done indoors so weather is not a factor, and the stores can make some money. It is usually held in areas with good security, plenty of light and open areas that allow you to keep your eye on your children while they trick or treat.

I can't tell you how often I hear from people who imho have ulterior motives for getting rid of Halloween as a holiday. They make me sick, as do all those with their little hidden agendas.

Maybe, at least in larger areas of the country, this Mall Trick or Treating is a new evolution of Halloween. Not to say it's better or worse, but just how things maybe done in the future as a means of preserving the tradition and all its good points, while protecting children from the REAL monsters who are out there.

The real monsters don't wear masks. That's what makes them so scary.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by MauEvig » Wed Oct 16, 2013 11:08 pm

I like the idea of a shopping mall trick or treating, however for the more rural area kids the parents would have to drive an hour, sometimes two hours to the closest mall.
Of course there's always "truck or treat" which is also an option with local churches and businesses. I think where I used to live there was a business trick or treat that took place on main street, but as an adult while that went on I never saw how they did that. They did have a Halloween parade, but I think it only lasted about 5 minutes.
I always handed out candy at my grandma's house, but now that I'm not living there anymore, it's likely to have the doors locked and the lights out on Halloween night.
I think the traditional trick or treating is dying out, but as long as Halloween is acknowledged in some way we can keep the traditions alive, albeit they might change somewhat to fit the times.
The only thing that kind of stinks where I live is that we can't decorate the store for Halloween or even dress up in costume. We can at least wear something Halloween related like a tee shirt and jewelry, but that's it.
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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Murfreesboro » Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:49 am

Once in a while I have given out apples and wrapped caramels for Halloween, but my husband made me stop because he was afraid the parents would just throw the apples away. Too bad, because the kids loved getting the apples when I would do that.

Around here there is a variety of TOTing going on. Many churches do Trunk-or-Treat, including ours, but in our case we do it near Halloween, not on the night itself. Shopping malls routinely do the TOT thing. In fact, one of our biggest traditions is TOTing on the public square, which is the heart of our town's historic district. After the kids circle the merchants on the square, they parade down Main Street and TOT at all the old antebellum houses there. Some of the wealthiest people in town live in those homes, and many of them do a terrific job of decorating for the occasion. Then there are destination streets, like the one near us, where so many houses decorate for the holiday that people drive to it and park on the side streets. I have seen police directing traffic on that street because it is like a block party, just something the neighbors all decided to do. We are close enough that we get some of the spill-over from that. Oh, and I forgot to mention the city Parks & Rec Halloween carnival that always happens for several nights on the weekend before Halloween. They have games, candy prizes, costume contests, and a haunted (as well as a not-so-haunted) hayride. Most public elementary schools have "book parades," where the kids can come costumed as a favorite character from a story. If they choose a scary story, so be it.

As a parent you can choose for your kids to participate in as much of this stuff as you like. At one time or another my own kids have done it all, and often during the same holiday season. Multiple opportunities for TOT around here.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by Kolchak » Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:45 pm

I love caramel apples and the caramels by themselves! :wink: :wink: I'm too lazy to make them myself but thankfully Kroger and Publix sell them!

When I was stationed at Fort Campbell, there was a lady on post who would take bananas and dip them in chocolate and roll them in nuts and then freeze them. Frozen chocolate covered bananas! Boy! They were good.

That would be the "treat" they'd give out.....Sometimes she had more soldiers stopping by her house than she did kids! LOL! :lol: :lol: :lol:

It got to the point that she'd sell them during the hot summer months and I'd get one or two a week myself. Then some busy body stuck their nose in and made her stop because she didn't have the proper permits to sell things on post. Always some jerk who just can't leave well enough alone and has to play God. :( :( :x :x

I'm like you Murph, and I like the idea of kids and parents having choices. Choices are always better because like you said, you can pick and choose and you don't have to pick just one!

I'd hate to think what I'd do if I caught somebody putting a razor blade in a sandwich or anything like that.

We did have a problem with a civilian employee at my police department years ago. We had a break room and people would bring food from home and put it in the fridge and come back later to eat it.

Seems the food began to disappear and it was usually when this particular person was working and there was nobody around. He was questioned but swore up and down he didn't do it.

They were scheduled to put closed circuit cameras in the break room, but while we waited for that to happen, it was decided to set a trap.

One officer brought in a poor boy sandwich and it was in a brown paper bag with his name on it so there could be no misunderstanding as to whom it belonged.

Well, what the thief didn't know was that this poor boy was loaded with ghost peppers. Ghost peppers are the hottest peppers there are and people who use them in their recipes have to wear triple layer rubber gloves and goggles on their eyes and a surgeon mask to keep from inhaling the pepper dust.

So...One afternoon, people are standing around and all of a sudden you hear some crying and screaming from the break room. Then there is this streak of a person going flying by. Yep. It was the guy everybody thought it was. He'd waited until nobody was around and snuck into the break room. He took out the sandwich without even looking and then took a big bite of it. BIG MISTAKE!

He was fired and then he tried to find a lawyer to sue us. said we'd set him up so he HAD to eat the sandwich.

He was hazy on the part of how he HAD to eat the sandwich. Nobody would take his case and in the end he go just what he deserved.

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Re: Halloween treats other than candy

Post by MauEvig » Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:31 pm

lol wow. After biting into a sandwich like that, I hope that he learned his lesson. I certainly wouldn't want to bite into a sandwich like that. I had a habanero once and that was hot enough.

It is always good to have choices, but unfortunately there aren't a whole lot in rural areas like the one I live in.
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