CARTHAGE — It’s looming large — that night when monsters and ghouls, ice princesses, CEOs, cowboys and freakish cartoon characters come to haunt us. No, I’m not talking about election night. This Friday is Halloween.
I never watch any of those horror movies that are so popular with many people, especially around Halloween (there are times when real life is horrific enough). But their popularity suggests that people do think it’s fun to be scared “out of their gourd” — if they know, in actuality, they are safe.
I have an indelible memory of a Halloween in the 1950s. As a teenager in a very small town, I was just being allowed the freedom of getting together with other teens without parental supervision. We had no theaters, no skating rinks, no dance clubs, not even television. The only entertainment options were hot-dog roasts, hay rides and school-sponsored basketball games. We had to make our own fun.
This particular Halloween, a small group of high-school friends were just hanging out — you really couldn’t “cruise” our two-block, two-street town. It was a time when outdoor-privy tipping, a ubiquitous Halloween activity in the past, was starting to be frowned upon. The squeamish girls among us didn’t think it was such a good idea either, so we had to figure out a less harmful way to release our youthful mischief.
A senior boy provided the answer when he showed up in a red pickup truck full of his dad’s excess pumpkin crop. Somehow, there was a natural division of forces. Those with “wheels” drove back and forth through town, throwing those over-ripe pumpkins at us on the ground. I guess you could call us “roadies” and “townies.”
The roadies took full advantage of their height, standing in the back of the truck, their readily available “ammunition” and their ability for a quick retreat. We townies scrambled to pick up the pieces of broken pumpkin to hurl back at them before they sped out of range, and turned around for a second assault and another adrenaline thrill.
You can tell it was sort of a one-sided battle; while there were lots of good-natured insults yelled back and forth, no one really aimed a projectile to hurt. In actuality, we didn’t really fear the other side. It was a fun way to release a lot of energy and we cleaned up the streets afterward — sort of.
I can’t remember if I admitted to my parents that I was one of those responsible for the “crime” scene. They probably didn’t need to ask if they noticed my slightly orange-tinted hands. I don’t mind admitting it now because I’m sure the statute of limitations has long passed.
Today, there are even safer venues where kids can get a “fear” thrill — where they can be both “tricked” and “treated.” On Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, the Fear Factory on County Lane 121 opens at 7 p.m. Admission is $7 and there is no age limit. A covered, heated entrance makes it comfortable in all weather for those waiting in line. From the roundabout on South Garrison, go two miles east on Airport Drive. Fear Factory is on your left.
Owner Jacki Dalton says, “Come see if fear is not a factor for you.”
Carthage, Jasper County
Jo Ellis: Privy tipping tops Halloween
- Carthage, Jasper County
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Carthage attorney, reformer of revenue department, dies
James R. Spradling, a Carthage attorney who was noted for his reform of the Missouri Department of Revenue in the 1970s, died at 5:50 a.m. Monday at McCune-Brooks Regional Hospital.
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Bondswoman charged with false imprisonment
A bail bondswoman from Carthage is facing a charge of false imprisonment for allegedly attempting to put a man in jail without a judge’s order, then taking him home and handcuffing him to the banister of a staircase until a friend of the man paid her his bond money.
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Man’s last statement to be given to defendant
A judge ruled Monday that the Jasper County prosecutor must provide attorneys for Darren J. Winans with a videotaped statement co-defendant Matthew D. Laurin made about the Sheldon murders shortly before killing himself.
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Carthage proposes 1.6-cent rise in city property tax
A drop in the assessed value of Carthage real estate will translate to an increase of about 1.6 cents in the city’s proposed property tax rate.
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Open house to celebrate projects at courthouse
Projects completed last year at the Jasper County Courthouse will be celebrated in ceremonies Thursday in the courthouse lobby.
County officials will join representatives of local chambers of commerce and others for a ribbon-cutting and open house to mark the opening of a Route 66 display in the lobby and a new “peace star” atop the building. -
State budget cuts reduce county funds
County officials are bracing for more state budget cuts to translate into a loss of county revenues.
In an effort to balance Missouri’s budget, the state earlier this year cut the amount it reimburses county assessors for work to determine property values. The budget approved by lawmakers for fiscal 2011 calls for cutting the amount the state reimburses counties to house prisoners bound for state lockup. -
Jo Ellis: County home to rare yellowwood tree
In late spring, drifts as white as snow fill the gutters and curbs on the east side of the Jasper County Courthouse. It isn’t snow, of course; it’s the fallen petals of the yellowwood tree that grows squarely in front of the door to the Jasper County Extension office.
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Jasper County Commission gets building project update
Plans to close out one building project and start another were reviewed by the Jasper County Commission last week.
Darieus Adams, Western District associate commissioner, met Thursday with officials of the firm who designed a $292,400 project to upgrade the lighting and make other changes to make four county-owned buildings more energy efficient. -
Two men running for associate judge in 39th Circuit take case to court
Two men running for associate judge in Missouri’s 39th Circuit began battling it out in a Jasper County courtroom this week.
Jasper County Circuit Judge Gayle Crane heard arguments Wednesday concerning the disclosure of documents sought by Robert “Bobby” George, Aurora, the current Lawrence County prosecutor. -
Unveiling ceremony celebrates CHS tiger
Kandy Frazier, Carthage High School principal, summed it up once the new addition to the CHS campus was unveiled Thursday.
The bronze tiger sculpture created by Carthage artist and sculptor Bob Tommey, she said, is the kind of work that would be found at a big university. - More Carthage, Jasper County Headlines
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