Home > Blogs > Barbara S. Duncan > Barbara Duncan's blog

Getting ready for Halloween costumes? Look at some old ones.

By Barbara S. Duncan

Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Advantage

October 08, 2008 01:55 PM

Halloween costumes

Some folks think that Halloween is a great time to have a party. There are no gifts expected, no crass commercialism (at least there used to be none....times may be changing) and no big meals to prepare. All one has to do is welcome little kids at the door and give them a piece of candy. You can also get yourself an outfit and pretend for one day that you are someone else; costume parties are great fun!

If you live in the subdivisions where parents drop the kids out, that candy thing can be a big expense. I live where the houses are so far apart that parents have to drive the kids so I always buy candy that is something we like because we have leftovers! : )

But the point of this blog is just to show you this fantastic picture of Searcy Arkansas kids in costume on what looks like a float. It would date back to the 40's! Searcy readers, if you are on this float, tell me which one you are. And who on earth was the boy in the background who was fascinated by all these girls?

Re-Blog

Comments(28)

Comment

Show All Comments

Sort:

Steve Hoffacker

Steve Hoffacker LLC - West Palm Beach, FL

Certified Aging In Place Specialist-Instructor

Barbara,

That photo predates me a little, but those costumes look like what we had avaialble. :)

Steve

Oct 08, 2008 03:54 PM

Jim Crawford

Long & Foster - Fredericksburg, VA

Jim Crawford Broker Associate Fredericksburg VA

I love the photo. I noticed none are dressed as politicians! The scariest of all!

Oct 08, 2008 03:59 PM

LS Rogers Realty

LS Rogers Realty - Richardson, TX

Great photo. It's strange that I was browsing through the salespaper looking at costumes. They've come a long way. And not for the better.

Oct 08, 2008 04:58 PM

Karen Anne Stone

New Home Hunters of Fort Worth and Tarrant County - Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Real Estate

Barbara: What a great photo. And... the boy standing in the background... I am willing to bet that ten years later after this photo... he was the one who never had a problem getting a date. Smart boy ! Thanks for sharing.

Oct 08, 2008 07:35 PM

TeamCHI - Complete Home Inspections, Inc.

Complete Home Inspections, Inc. - Brentwood, TN

Home Inspectons - Nashville, TN area - 615.661.029

Cool photo! I really enjoy looking at a lot of older pictures when times were simpler...

Oct 08, 2008 08:42 PM

Allison Stewart

St.Cloud Homes - Saint Cloud, FL

St. Cloud Fl Realtor, Osceola County Real Estate 407-616-9904

What struck me oddly was the kids for the most part in the photo are NOT smiling. But their costumes are beautifully done- a big improvements from the store bought ones we see these days.

Halloween used to mean going through that steamer trunk up inthe attic and playing dress up- the preparation was popcorn balls, apples and all the other stuff now too dangerous to give away.

The good old days...really were.

Oct 08, 2008 10:38 PM

Barbara S. Duncan

RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR

GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Gary, thanks for comment. Life may have been simpler....and certainly less expensive.

Steve Hoffacker, thanks for stopping by. Weren't the girls lovely?

Jim, politicians are the scariest of all! Only one more month....

Trunda, we used to just let our moms make up a cosume! Being a ghost was easy!

Karen Anne, you always look on the bright side! Bet he had a crush on one of those girls the day the picture was taken.

Michael, the old black and white photos are the most fun.

Making a costume was more fun than buying one, I guess. Perhaps Searcy will wake up today and tell us what this picture was about and what was going on.

Oct 09, 2008 12:24 AM

Anonymous

Anita Fuller

That is me on the right - as you look at the picture. I have no rememberence of this event! That we all looked gloomy is spot on. Obviously we're on a float, for the Halloween parade. My friend, Mary Beth Cook - in the crown - was the Halloween queen, next to her is Peggy Killough, she may have been queen from the elementary school. The comment about the good looking gal in the pointed hat is interesting: she is Julliane Rand, the prettiest girl in school, she was usually the "queen" of everything. Your friend, JoAnn Roth, is in the picture, Barbara. Also Jackie King, whose father, K.K. King ran The Rialto and Plaza movie theaters. If I remember anything, it's that I THINK I remember my mother also making my clown costume. Mother sewed and made lots of my clothes early on.

Anita Fuller

Oct 09, 2008 01:21 AM

#16

Don Thompson

Donthomp Associates - Sunnyvale, CA

I think the boy is blowing a horn to get the girl's attention. Hey, it could be me!

The Halloween picture is from Anita Hart Fuller's collection even if she doesn't remember the event. I believe the picture is from 1942 or 1943 when we were in the second or third grade.

Here's a pic of that pretty girl in the pointed hat taken in 2003 with her 8 grandchildren.

Oct 09, 2008 03:16 AM

Patt M. Judd

First Realty Company - Cookeville, TN

Realtor - Your Cookeville Connection

Very Cool photo... its always interesting to see how things were done then and compare them to now...

Oct 09, 2008 05:17 AM

Greg Knowles Santa Barbara Ca.

Fidelity National Title Group-Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, CA

Ahhh the good ole days. I can remember my mom making my costumes. I think the Batman cape she made was my favorite. I wore it out. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Oct 09, 2008 07:44 AM

Jen Bowman

Keller Williams on the Water - Holmes Beach, FL

Realtor - Anna Maria Island & Bradenton FL

I love the old photo. I remember being a ladybug as a little girl. It was a costume my mom made for me for a dance recital. It was a really great. I wish I still had that costume now. I would frame it as art! Oh, those were good memories.

signature

Oct 09, 2008 08:13 AM

Barbara S. Duncan

RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR

GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Anita, thanks for the comment and identification! Wonder if they realize they are on a blog looking angelic! You all should have looked happier!

Don, I believe you're right about that boy. He's asking for attention!! The girls should have been amused! The girl in the pointed hat has a great family!

Pat, thanks for the comment.

Greg, Batman was a great costume. You'd wear them until you outgrew them!

Jen, the pattern books used to have costume patterns. I had an old pattern book from Penny's and sold it on ebay recently. Ladybug would be a great costume.

Oct 09, 2008 08:19 AM

Anonymous

Anita Fuller

I now have the scoop on the Halloween float, etc. for those still interested: as co-incidences do happen, I received a t.c. yesterday afternoon from the queen on the left, the one with the big bunch of flowers. In passing I asked her about the picture and here is what she said: She was the queen from the elementary school, Peggy was queen from the primary school. The others are representatives from their respective rooms. The queen was the one who made the most money - from placing jars with their names/pictures on it in the stores around town. Proceeds went to the Halloween Carnival. As Queen Mary Beth's dad owned a popular groc. store on the court square, and Queen Peggy's dad ran the local pool hall, also on the square - they raised the most money. She was crowned that night at the Halloween Carnival by Elbert Eubanks, pres. of the grammer school. Carnival was held in the National Guard Armory, a picture Barbara has posted some months ago. That's all, folks. Thanks for reading, if you got this far.

Anita Fuller

Oct 10, 2008 02:20 AM

#22

c m

Colorado Springs, CO

I LOVE this story! In the 60's I was second Princess at my elementary for collecting the most pennies in my jar! I got a trophy, and got to be on stage, (no parade!). My mom was a sewing queen, she made all of my clothes, (swimsuits, coats, everything, through my wedding gown!), but for some reason, we always put together Halloween costumes from the Thrift Shop....good times....

Oct 10, 2008 06:11 PM

Barbara S. Duncan

RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR

GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Anita and Cheryl,

I think my memory of painful events blocked it for awhile but I now remember Halloween carnivals at my school. They'd make rooms into scary places and let you go through and feel eyeballs (peeled grapes) and other frightening stuff. Things would jump out at you. It was great fun.

One year I may have been selected as a princess that could be voted on as queen with penny votes from the public. I think my mother tried to make me some sort of dress out of tissue paper. (That's probably the real painful part.) Then I was so aware that the wealthy parents of some of the princesses would be sure to put in enough money to get them elected. (That's a painful part too because there were not many pennies in our household.)

So the carnivals were fun but the "most-paid-votes-wins" was grossly unfair to cute little poor kids. No telling how much trauma is in my soul and other little girl's souls!

I'll bet that voting stuff has been outlawed? Has it?

Thanks for comments.

Oct 11, 2008 03:06 AM

Charles Stallions Real Estate Services

Charles Stallions Real Estate Services Inc - Gulf Breeze, FL

Buyers Agent 800-309-3414 Pace and Gulf Breeze,Fl.

How simple it was back then. I remember when you just got dressed and went down to the local school and everyone got candy the adults danced and everyone had a good time. The picture looks like that was where they were headed to.

Oct 11, 2008 05:53 PM

Barbara S. Duncan

RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR

GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Joyce Kelley, times were pretty good then, weren't they?

Oct 12, 2008 12:59 AM

c m

Colorado Springs, CO

Barbara, Just to set the record straight, i was one of the poor kids, too. There weren't many pennies at our house, my father was an enlisted man in the Air Force, and mom didn't work outside the home. Thats one of the reasons she made all of my clothes, no money to buy them. I went door to door, (still safe back then!) and collected from the neighbors, and I am guessing my dad solicited at work. My biggest haul was the man next door who gave me one whole dollar!

Oct 13, 2008 12:59 PM

Barbara S. Duncan

RE/MAX Advantage - Searcy, AR

GRI, e-PRO, Executive Broker, Searcy AR

Cheryl, congratulations on your big win! You were an industrious child and took things into your own hands and won! I'll bet you are still a very successful person! Thanks for writing.

Oct 13, 2008 01:24 PM