Ever since I can remember I've had a fascination with Halloween.  I'm sure like most kids Halloween, Christmas, and their birthdays were probably the most important days of the year!  Well, I had (HAVE?) this penchant for liking candy, particularly anything chocolate that doesn't have raisins in it!  And growing up in the suburbs outside of Columbus, Ohio gave me ample opportunities for memorable Trick-or-Treat trips of filling and refilling my orange plastic pumpkin with the best loot that Woolworth's, Big Bear, Harts, Gold Circle, or Kroger's could offer! 

I get it naturally.  On both sides of the family Halloween was a big deal.  Both of my grandmother's actively participated in dressing up and giving out treats in their homes.  I lived with my paternal grandmother while going to college and I'll never forget the first year I was with her coming downstairs and there she was - dressed like a witch with black lipstick and heavy orange eye shadow on!  What a great surprise!  And my other grandmother just a few miles away was well known for her great tasting popcorn balls that she gave out year after year to the roaming trick-or-treaters.  I'm hoping to give making them a shot in a few weeks myself, as my Aunt was nice enough to share the hand written recipe with me. 

Luckily, my family was no stranger to taking photos and that is what leads me to this post.  Last year while doing some digging I came across these fantastic images of a Halloween party that my mother put on for school kids while she was a teen.  This was part of a Home Economics project.  I just love these photos on many levels - it's the old home of my maternal grandparents that I have fond memories of, the fantastic costumes (especially the Ben Cooper masks!), and the vintage Beistle and Dennison cardboard Halloween decorations that are adorning the walls in the background.  Spooky stuff!  

The following photos are from a 1972 Halloween party, some trick or treaters in 1974, and then a few various ads from the local paper from the long gone store G. C. Murphy's in Gallipolis, Ohio, where my family often shopped back then. 

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