Halloween at School, 1970's style

tomanderson · Post by **tomanderson** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 2:22 pm

When I was in elementary school (the 1970's, basically) Halloween decorations were usually up for October and November, and often I recall there was a general "Fall" approach that combined Halloween and Thanksgiving decor, lots of orange and brown and corn yellow. Just put it all up once and leave it up for two months. Loved all those cutouts they used to put up. Beistle made a lot of 'em, and still carries some of the classic designs. But this is not a plug for the Beistle company, this is just the way it was, you know.

So anyhow, Halloween was usually a light day in school because kids would all come dressed as whatever. Everyone was pretty well behaved but the day was generally played loose because Halloween is a "fun" holiday and no one was in a mood for heavy book learning. Punch and cookies generally were served, and I remember at least once having a proper Halloween party in class in the mid-70's and bobbing for apples in a big steel tub of some kind. Yeah, I did it, still remember how weird it felt to stick your head in a tub of cooooooold water, bouyant apples bouncing off yer forehead.

Early in the morning the entire school would be organized and everyone , all the classes, would assemble out in the parking lot. One of the teachers would lead the way and we would all do a parade, in a circuit all the way around the immediate neighborhood, down a small hill and back up again. Folks came out to look and applaud. That was fun. Then it was back to class for a few hours and then time to go home for those weird few hours before it got dark and everything would transform into Halloween Town.

thislazylife · Post by **thislazylife** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 2:27 pm

I swear it sounds like we went to the same school at the same time.

JACKRYAN592 · Post by **JACKRYAN592** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 7:23 pm

I HAVE SIMILAR MEMORIES TO YOURS, AND I THINK MOST OF US ON THIS BLOG DO ALSO. GOOD WRITING!!

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:24 pm

I always talk on another website I am on...about my childhood memories and how much I miss stuff. I grew up in the 70's and 80's too, and I remember when I was in elementary school we walked home for lunch everyday. The only time we ate lunch at school was on sloppy joe day...and they did it around Halloween every year...they actually did it about 4 times in the year, and the PTA moms would come up in the morning and start making their special sloppy joe recipe in the kitchen, and you could smell them all through the rooms...they were the best. They wrapped them in aluminum foil and the buns were all steamed and they were so yummy, then you got a choice of a vanilla or chocolate cupcake, a bag of chips or fritos and either white or chocolate milk, and a PTA mom would bring the food up to each class in a big garbage bag, and you ate in the classroom. We always had a Halloween party, and had sloppy joe day, it was awesome.

I loved school as a kid. I can remember even in kindergarten the PTA moms popped popcorn and gave every kid a paper bag full of popcorn and we watched the movie "Rascal" in the gym.

For Thanksgiving they cooked an entire turkey dinner for us in school. It was awesome. You never see that any more.

My poor kid has nothing like that...they stop doing parties for Halloween in the 5th grade.

We were allowed to have parties in school through high school, you could have a party at your lunch table and everyone brought in food and we even had a jukebox in our cafeteria...it was fun. It made it so you liked going to school.

MHooch · Post by **MHooch** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:00 am

Well...I remember in grade school in the late 50's early 60's (OH-MY-GOD-THAT-LOOKS-SO-DISTURBING-IN-PRINT!!!) Halloween was a big deal, we would all wear costumes, and the moms (who of course were not at work

) would bring cupcakes and punch and treats, and we would play games...my favorite was trying to bite an apple hung from a string. Had to have pretty sharp teeth for that! Nobody complained that we weren't politically correct, and we all had a ball.

uncletor · Post by **uncletor** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 12:08 am

well, my son tells me that the teachers in his high school still dress up. Lumber jack. Gandalf. Japanese warrrior. some of the students too...
I was a child of the sixites, and we did our Halloween party in the afternoon and school off..remember portable 45s? We got to dance to those..Bobby Sherman was the coolest thing going in Grade five..Melissa gave me a picture of him..where are you tonight, Sweet Melissa???
Canadian Thanksgviing is BEFORE Halloween, the one thing I think we should learn from you guys and put between Christmas and Halloween as a fire wall, but it's too late now..
We would bob for apples at my house..not at school..too much of a pain in the can getting it set up..but they WOULD have the apple on a string..and the drive ins would have a spookshow that night...

midnight kitty · Post by **midnight kitty** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 7:47 am

you know what? i only remember dressing up in costume for school 1 time. second grade (early eighties) i was a bunny. mom sewed a cotton tail on pink footsies and i wore ears and painted whiskers on. we had a parade, but that's about it. we moved from jersey after 3rd grade and i swear you never saw a kid wear a costume for school EVER. the most you saw was spray color in the hair and maybe a silly hat.

uncletor · Post by **uncletor** » Fri Nov 03, 2006 11:52 am

and the hair and the hat were pretty much every day in Jersey, right?