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