Happy Halloween from here, too.
Has Dallas experienced any notable Halloween celebrations over the years? I know that in times past, especially pre-WWII, Halloween was often a time when a lot of vandalism and property crime took place, mainly perpetrated by teens and young adults just looking to cause havoc. Relocated outhouses were one feature of that behavior.
But I do not know of any particular Halloween activities, whether of a criminal nature or just harmless fun and hijinks. Were there ever any big community parties, or organized public activities for kids?
Did Dallas ISD schools have Halloween activities? I don't remember any in particular, though the schools I attended prior to moving to Dallas did have celebrations, put on by the PTAs. They included dances for teens, and such things as "cake walks," and "apple bobbing." Later, when my daughter attended public schools outside of Dallas, similar celebrations were held. Cake walks were pretty neat, at least to a kid. Cakes, mostly homemade, were the prizes in a game of chance. There was a circle of numbered squares drawn on the floor or an outdoor paved area with chalk. People stood on the squares and music was played while the people walked around the circle. When the music stopped, so did the people. A number was drawn from a container, and whoever was standing on that number got a cake. It usually cost something like a quarter or fifty cents to play maybe five rounds. I once got a delicious pineapple upside down cake for a twenty-five cent entry.
I never cottoned to apple bobbing much. A big tub was filled with water, and apples were floated in it. Participants, who usually paid something like a dime, attempted, using only their head, to retrieve an apple. Most would try with their mouths, but the only effective approach was to try to trap an apple under the chin. Prizes like at a carnival were usually awarded. The game was probably not very sanitary.
Related, were there significant Day of the Dead celebrations in the Hispanic community back in the day in Dallas?
Dave McNeely