Halloween: Gotta draw the line somewhere From ghoulies and ghosties And long-leggedy beasties And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord, deliver us! Traditional Scottish Prayer
I love Halloween. Have loved it as long as I can remember. When I was growing up Halloween was a time when we could dress up like a hobo (old clothes and burnt cork beard) or a ghost (sheet liberated from the laundry basket) and go out and exhort candy from the community. We knew which houses we could hit. We knew which ones to avoid. We knew which tricks were permissible. Soaping store windows downtown was just fine, for it saved merchants soapmoney when they washed the next day. Soaping car windows, however, was a nono. And we knew not to scare little kids, unless they were our brothers or sisters. Siblings were fair game.
Letters to the editor After reading the article about bowfin fish by John Felsher (July 2015), I wondered why he didn’t mention the snakehead (fish), since they are so near alike in appearance and so destructive. John P. Daly Seven Springs, N.C. John Felsher replies: Thank you for reading Alabama Living magazine and Alabama Living
Unfortunately, over the years Halloween has been taken over by adults. And adults, unlike kids, do not improvise their fun. They buy it. The National Retail Federation ranks Halloween sixth for holiday spending and SECOND only to CHRISTMAS in spending on decorations and outfits. And where do those of us who live far from town purchase Halloween decorations and outfits? Out of catalogs. Even before the nights grow cold and leaves begin to turn, Halloween catalogs start arriving in the mail. The variety of stuff they contain is a tribute to the human imagination – or at least the Chinese imagination. (I find it odd that most Halloween items originated in a country where “ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties” are dragons that breathe fire rather than “go bump in the night,” but what do I know.) There are vampire and zombie costumes for folks who want to scare other folks. For those with something else in mind there are the “French Maid” and “Little Bo Peep” outfits (emphasis on the “peep”). There are cartoon characters, TV personalities and presidents. Since some churches have reservations about the origins of Halloween, but at the same time don’t want to deny their children the dress-up fun, one catalog
enjoying my outdoors column. Originally from Asia, various snakehead species are indeed aggressive, vicious predators that look similar to bowfins. They can even breathe air like bowfins, but are not related. I n A si a a nd p a r t s of Africa, many people consider snakeheads a delicacy. Some people imported them into the United States as food fish. Some fish were intentionally released or escaped into the wild. These exotic fish first came to national attention when an angler found some in a Maryland pond in 2002. I did not mention
company offers costumes based on biblical characters. And to keep kids off the street, and out of trouble (or danger) churches like mine organize “Trunk or Treat” carnivals where adults pack the trunks of their cars with goodies, park them in the church parking lot, and the costumed kids come around for the loot. Something for everyone – even animal abusers. Animal abusers? Yessir. In one catalog was a picture of a dog dressed like a pumpkin. A dog. The catalog folks want me to spend my money so my dogs can look like pumpkins? Folks, I have been around dogs all my life and dogs are dignified animals. Before I dress one of them up in a Halloween costume I will boycott the holiday and let the American catalog economy sink like a stone. You gotta draw the line somewhere, and for me, this is it.
snakeheads in my article on bowfins because they have never been reported in Alabama outside of an aquarium and are illegal to possess in the state. “We have had quite a number of reports over the years of possible snakeheads being caught or observed in Alabama waters,” said William C. Nichols, chief of fisheries for the Alabama Division of Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries in Montgomery. “In every case where we could obtain a photo, a good physical description or see the animal, we were able to determine that the fish were
Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson is Professor Emeritus of History at Jacksonville State University. He can be reached at hjackson@ cableone.net.
native bowfins. There was a case years ago where some pet stores were cited for importing a nd p o s s e s s i n g ju ve n i le northern snakeheads to sell for ornamental purposes, but these animals were confiscated and destroyed.” Snakeheads currently exist in parts of Virginia, Maryland, Arkansas, California, Pennsylvania and Nor t h Carolina. Bu l lseye snakeheads thrive in extreme southern Florida, but so far, not in Alabama. Let us hear from you! Write us at letters@alabamaliving.coop OCTOBER 2015 11