One of the advantages of growing up in a small town in the late 50's and early 60's was that we all felt so safe. We didn't have the child predators to worry about, we knew all our neighbors and citizens of our small close knit community, and most of all Halloween was considered to be a fun filled and appropriate special day for all the kids in town. No one would even think that it had anything to do with the occult or witchcraft. It was simply a part of our heritage that children for generations had enjoyed with no harmful effects. It was an important part of being a child; just like believing in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny.
I have often wished that TAGS would have had one special episode to show what Halloween was like in Mayberry. I can just picture Opie and Johnny Paul and all the other kids going from door to door ( most likely unescorted) ringing those doorbells and shouting out "Trick or Treat". Probably the only two people who would have disliked it would have been old Ben Weaver and Bert Miller. Ben would have hated it because he would have had to give away free candy, and poor old Bert would have been driven crazy by all those ringing doorbells. Goober would have been guarding the cannon so no one would stuff it with old fruits and vegetables, and Barney would be tracking down the older kids who would ring doorbells and then run away. After the trick or treating was over, I imagine Opie sat down with Andy and listened once again to that magical story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Fortunately there was no video of it, and Opie had to settle for the written word. Yes, I imagine Halloween in Mayberry was an exciting and fun-filled night and the kids who were lucky enough to have lived there now have some wonderful memories and are on this very night they are probably sharing them with their children as they go through the candy sacks searching for razor blades, pins, or tainted candy. They most likely shared stories of how they bobbed for apples and made popcorn balls and how they were even allowed to take toy guns, knives, or swords to school as part of their costumes. As for this 61 year old kid, I have some precious memories of all the Halloweens of my childhood. I always get a bit nostalgic this time of year because a small part of me remains a kid. And you know, I hope that part of me never dies. I hope all my friends in Mayberryland had a wonderful and safe Halloween. Ken Anderson 2906 May Street Eau Claire, WI 54701 (Home) 715-839-8470 ( Cell ) 715-210-1556 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.mayberryreflections.com _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://wbmutbb.com/mailman/listinfo/wbmutbb_wbmutbb.com http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
