Halloween at the Market

I'm long past the years of trick or treating with my children and my grand-daughter is too far away and too young. To be honest, during my adult years, I've always seen Halloween as a it of a chore. Here in Idaho, where I raised my children, Halloween is likely to be very cold. You have to bundle up in coats, wool socks and the like and I always thought that took a lot of the fun out of the evening. I also thought it was sad when the homemade popcorn balls, cookies, and candies went by the wayside due to parental safety concerns and x-raying candy became a part of the holiday routine. I have fond memories of making popcorn balls with Karo syrup. We all knew about the special neighbors, like my Mom, that gave the best homemade treats. It's too bad today's kids don't get to experience that. The one saving grace to the holiday for me is seeing the cute little faces come to the door (I'm not as fond of the big teenage ones, especially those who don't make an effort to even appear to be in costume).

I'm remembering a neighbor in my youth who responded to the usual "Trick or Treat?", with "trick" and told us we need to perform some sort of trick for his enjoyment. He would only give us candy if we performed. I don''t recall what we came up with. That was probably about 1959 and the thought of soaping his windows wouldn't have even crossed our minds.

This year, I'll be at the Farmer's Market in downtown Pocatello for Halloween. The usual selling time has been extended to an all day affair including a parade, pumpkin caring, and trick or treating. if you're in Pocatello, drop by for a treat on me. I probably won't make you perform a trick for your treat.