Halloween in Keene

Our New England Life ~ 3rd issue

Halloween is one of our favorite holidays. When we were kids, I lived in a subdivision neighborhood in Keene, 100’s of houses with candy to visit, within walking distance. Mom & Dad would take me & my brother around the neighborhood to collect candy. It was all magical. After trick or treating, we went and visited my grandparents and my uncle to show them our costumes and get the extra special candy they had saved for us.

We moved to Westmoreland when I was 10, where houses were few and far between…only 2 visible neighboring houses across the field at first. We would dress up and go to the old neighborhood for the candy and goodies. Once I hit High school, I stopped Trick or Treating for a while…it wasn’t cool…Halloween parties and mass quantities of beer and other Halloween treats were the preferred venue for the evening. Later I went to Keene State, and lo and behold, costumes were cool again…especially WITH the beer and unmentionables.   

I guess maybe guys always remain 10 at heart…I still love to dress up in costumes…I put on one and BECOME that character, so Halloween has remained my 2nd favorite Holiday after Thanksgiving.

Now, of course, I get to be the Dad, taking my kids around the neighborhoods. The first few years, we followed suit and hit the old neighborhood and then the grandparents and great grandparents houses, just like when I was a kid. Then for a few years, we traveled the haunted paths of Court Street. One of my best friends, Chris, lives in a huge house that looks like the mansion at the beginning of Scooby Doo. That was Halloween central, in our travels. That part of Keene really gets into it, so many people decorate and make their own haunted places. 

Last year, we let Jeremiah have all the boys from his Waldorf Class sleep over at our house and we took them to Trick or Treating around the Lincoln Street, Waldorf neighborhood. Another gold mine of candy, with the added bonus of so many parents from school, either in the houses giving out candy or on the streets with their kids. Kind of a big social event for everyone.

This year, Jeremiah went to a friends house and he and his boys went trick or treating based out of one of the guys mother’s house near the school. Jem forgot his candy gathering bag, so we showed up with it and then tagged along with some of the other parents. He didn't mind and the guys included Grace as part of the crew.  She loved it. 

Their costumes were something else! Grace wanted to be a Pilgrim/colonial girl and Jem wanted to be a 2nd Massachusetts Militia man from 1776. They had seen these costumes at Old Sturbridge Village. Tracy started making the costumes after supper Friday and finished Saturday Morning at 5 am, just before I woke to bring Jeremiah to Keene to his buddies for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yup, I’m the cloaked figure…it actually was pretty scary after dark…