A LOOK BACK:Halloween 1940 in our city

On Tuesday, pirates roamed the streets of Huntington Beach along with witches, Elvis and black cats. This was Halloween 2006.

The holiday sure has changed from when I went door to door trick-or-treating in the late 1940s and ‘50s.

Back then, decorations usually consisted of carved pumpkins that were lit with a candle or a sheet hung from a tree and made to look like a ghost.

Today, people are decorating their yards elaborately, like Robert Espitia of Huntington Street has done for the past several years.

About the only costumes back then were ghosts made from old bedsheets, clown costumes that moms had made, and tramps wearing old clothes that dad had hanging in the garage.

But in those days we never worried about poison candy or razor blades in apples — it just wasn’t done.

This week, we are going back to 1940 and a simpler Halloween that our residents celebrated.

To prepare for the onslaught of youngsters, your mom would head over to either the Standard Market or to the Alpha Beta Market to stock up on candy, popcorn or ingredients to make cookies.

The Standard Market (126 Main) had a pound of popcorn for a nickel and apple cider for 55 cents a gallon.

Alpha Beta Market (218 Main) had popped corn “as fresh as popped corn can be” for 19 cents for a 2-gallon can.

Our City Council voted to donate $50 toward the construction of a Halloween float as Huntington Beach’s entry in a Halloween parade in Anaheim. The “Cinderella” entry featured a huge pumpkin carriage drawn by six white horses, with Cinderella seated on a throne designed by city Park Superintendent Richard Beeson.

Chamber of Commerce President Frank Bundy planned an elaborate display to go along with the float.

Betty McKenzie was selected to ride as Cinderella. She wore a blue satin gown, while her “coach girls” Millie Wardlow and Dorothy Birch wore gowns of white satin.

Huntington Beach won first prize for its Cinderella float.

There were Halloween parties throughout our town.

At Joseph Hudson’s home on 14th Street, Lois Hudson hosted a fun Halloween party that included many of her friends — Alice Slater, Joanna Lewis, Jimmie Bell and Mabel Marksberry. While six girls supplied the entertainment, the ladies served orange ice cream, candied apples and chocolate cake.

Over at the Ira Hamm home, Pauline Hamm celebrated her birthday with a Halloween party. Guests included Phyllis Stricklin, Barbara Chamberlain, Katherine Case, Frances Meyers and Anita Biscailuz.

The Christian church held a Halloween party for M.A. Turner and his wife before their trip to see their son Glen in Greely, Colo. As each guest arrived, they were greeted at the door by a “ghost.” Once inside, they found long tables decorated in a Halloween motif. During the party, Gertrude Catching gave a reading of “There Was a Bridge,” and Murl Kesterson offered a reading of “Two Golden Days.”

Guests at this party included Amy Worthy, May Elliott, Bertha Pann, Hattie King, Mayme Schuth, Effie Archibald, Estelle Reed and Maude Flaws.

Members of the Catholic Church held a party at Memorial Hall in conjunction with their monthly card party. Lucille Allaire won first prize in contract bridge and George Farquhar won a large basket of groceries from the Standard Market.

We all know that boys will be boys, and this year was no exception as several downtown windows got a soaping and some signs were torn off.

Some pranksters cut loose Mrs. Rush’s pet goat on California Street and several property owners on Ninth Street had their fences torn down. Our police incarcerated more than 20 boys that Halloween night.

Members of our Chamber of Commerce got together to plan a big Halloween celebration for the following year. Mayor Marcus McCallen suggested a huge community party for the town.

Halloween continues as a day to frighten little kids, but it could never frighten the kids as much as the seventh day in December of 1941. Huntington Beach had been the third largest oil field in California and a prime target by the enemy.

But even though kids today may not be able to go out alone to trick or treat, they still look forward to the day.