Volume 10 Issue 5
Every Halloween, Americans spend over 3.9 billion dollars on candy, with each costumed kiddo receiving an average of 250 sweet treats a piece! For most kids, it wouldn’t be Halloween without trick-or-treating. But this ritual of candy-crazed ghosts and goblins ringing doorbells hasn’t always existed. Early on, Halloween was the one night each year when communities would tolerate “pranking,” with hooligans wreaking havoc on things like mailboxes, fences, and gravestones. The point of the night was geared more toward causing mischief than it was for gathering the most treats!
It wasn’t until the late 1930s and early 1940s that trick-or-treating became popular on a national scale. At that time, the typical goodies consisted of homemade items such as cakes, cookies, and fruit. But in the late 1970s, children’s health and safety became the focus as parents started to worry about potential real-life boogiemen that might be tampering with homemade treats. At that time wrapped, factory-made candy began its rise to Halloween stardom.
When it comes to trick-or-treating, we all know that the quality of candy can vary widely from house to house. There is no bigger disappointment than making your way down that sidewalk and raising up your jack-o’-lantern bucket only to receive a handful of unpopular candies. Most kids would prefer pennies to those black and orange wrapped peanut butter taffies! Of course, on the other side of the spectrum, your dreams come true when you stroll up to the doorstep of someone passing out full size, name brand candy bars. These are the houses that make you want to change your costume two or three times, just to go back for more!
Speaking of the best treats on the block, in this issue of Saline County Lifestyles, we are proud to present our 2nd Annual Reader’s Choice – Best in the Biz. We have highlighted five new categories including pharmacists, veterinarians, financial advisors, real estate agents, and hair stylists. We are very excited to recognize some of the individuals that you have personally selected based on how well they “treat” you. Your town. Your life. Your magazine.
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