Halloween in Lorain – 1976

We'll close out this look at Halloweens of the past by making the rare (for this blog, at least) trip to the 1970s to see how the holiday played out in the Journal in 1976. There weren't very many Halloween-themed ads that year (which happened to be my senior year in high school); indeed, I had a difficult time finding enough ads and articles to fill this post. 

But there was something new that seemed to surface about that time that is still popular today: the interactive 'Haunted House' experience that sometimes served as a fundraiser for some charity or group. You'll see a couple ads like that in this collection; surprisingly, both feature appearances by none other than Hoolihan and Big Chuck! 

(I didn't go to that type of thing until the 1980s, when I made a few trips to the Haunted Forest of Carousel.)

As usual, there are ads for local businesses, and one for a national fast food chain that features artwork by the great Jack Davis of Mad Magazine. And there's one great sign of the times: the mention of how some CB radio operators were helping to keep an eye on the streets to keep them safe for trick or treaters. 

Oct. 8, 1976

Oct. 12, 1976

Oct.. 15, 1976

Oct.. 21, 1976

Oct. 22, 1976

Oct. 22, 1976

Oct. 22, 1976

Oct. 22, 1976

Oct. 29, 1976

Oct. 31, 1976

Halloween in Lorain – 1956

By 1956, the ads and articles in the Lorain Journal reflected most of the aspects of Halloween that we have come to expect, including ads for candy, and for costumes and masks of TV and movie characters. The community traditions that many of us grew up, such as the Downtown window painting contest and the big parade, were also in place.

Here's a sampling of ads and articles to give you the flavor of Halloween 1956 in Lorain.

Oct. 18, 1956

Oct. 22, 1956

Lou Kepler wrote a charming reminisce about the way Halloween used to be.

Oct. 23, 1956

High school and junior high bands were to be included in the Halloween parade.

Oct. 24, 1956

Kresge's (today's Kmart) ran a Halloween ad that included a few costumed characters, including, er, Gay Gypsy, Happy Clown, and two members of the popular Disney menagerie: Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Donald looks like he had been smoking one of those exploding cigars.

Oct. 25, 1956

The actual costume (that has somehow survived over the years) of the irascible, sailor-suited waterfowl doesn't look much better than the ad illustration. No wonder Donald's always throwing a tantrum.

Mickey Moose Mouse fared a little better, perhaps because he is the Disney figurehead.

Muir's ad includes Halloween candy, as well as a few masks.

Oct. 25, 1956

Faroh's Candy ran an ad with some interesting items listed. I had never heard of a Peel-A-Way, but apparently it was just a molded chocolate (in the shape of something) that was wrapped in foil that you 'peeled away' as you ate it.

Oct. 26, 1956

And there were still Halloween dances, although not as many as other years.

Perhaps the best way to celebrate Halloween was at the Tower Drive-In – which had four classic horror films on its bill: Dracula with Bela Lugosi, Frankenstein with Boris Karloff, The Mummy (also with Boris Karloff) and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (not for coffee I presume).

October 29, 1956

October 30, 1956

Halloween in Lorain – 1946

Halloween was a fairly subdued affair in the pages of the Lorain Journal in 1946.

The holiday celebration had evolved into a regular pattern in Lorain and surrounding communities, consisting of a community parade that was sometimes followed by refreshments consisting of cider and donuts. 

The Journal editorial page usually contained a plea for a safe and sane Halloween.

There really were no department store ads containing a variety of costumes for sale, because there really weren't that many being mass produced – yet. Television would change all that in a few years.

What's interesting is that adult Halloween parties and dances were becoming much more commonplace in the nightclubs and social clubs, with several ads appearing in the Journal. Perhaps that was a foreshadowing of today's Halloween festivities, where it seems that adults are more heavily into dressing up and decorating than ever.

Here then is an ample sample of clippings from Halloween 1946. Note that Halloween hijinks started early in Sheffield Lake!

Oct. 25, 1946

Octd. 25, 1946

Oct. 30, 1946

Oct. 30, 1946

Oct. 30, 1946

Oct. 30, 1946

Oct. 30, 1946

Oct. 30, 1946

Oct. 30, 1946

Oct. 31, 1946

Halloween in Lorain – 1936

Halloween in Lorain in 1936 was going to be something special.

For years, the city of Elyria had celebrated the holiday with an impressive community effort consisting of a huge costume parade (with prizes for the best costumes), followed by a party in Ely Park with cider and donuts. It was such a popular event that it drew hundreds of participants, from all over Lorain County.

For 1936, Lorain decided it was time to have its own big celebration with a huge "Spook Parade" with bands and floats. The Lorain Merchants also got involved, making an effort to draw people downtown by designating it Fall Jubilee Week, with displays of new Fall merchandise and special sales.

Here are some clippings from the Lorain Journal that week that tell the story, as well as giving you a taste of Halloween 1936.

Oct. 27, 1936

October 29, 1936

Oct. 29, 1936

Oct. 29, 1936

Oct. 29, 1936

Oct. 30, 1936

Oct. 30, 1936

Oct. 30, 1936

Oct. 30, 1936