ANOKA HALLOWEEN CELEBRATES 99TH ANNIVERSARY

“By 1919 in Anoka, practical jokes such as outhouse tipping and window soaping and other high tricks like bringing cows into downtown and letting them go had gotten out of hand,” said John Jost, Chairman of the 100th Anniversary committee, “so community and civic leaders decided after that year in 1920, they would do something different to keep the kids busy. So what they came up with was a giant bonfire and parade. So that’s the inaugural year of our parade, which is 1920.”

Anoka grows to nearly 60,000 for the Grand Day Parade, which is one of the largest in the Midwest.

Anoka Halloween’s Centennial Anniversary is next year and there are events planned for the special celebration.

“That year, we’re going to come out with a nice coffee table book. People can take a look at the history of Anoka Halloween and what is Anoka Halloween and answering that question for folks that might be curious. We’ll also have special events and each of the events we already have, we’ll have something boosted for each of the events,” Jost said.

Anoka Halloween is a volunteer-run experience.

“We are a 100 percent volunteer run organization and it’s just really people like me and others who want to give back to the community and celebrate that tradition that dates back to 1920,” said Karen George, President of Anoka Halloween, Inc.

Anoka Halloween is filled with events for all kinds of people.

“We have the parades, we have children and adult pumpkin carving, we have the Big Pumpkin Weigh-off. Once you come to town and you experience a Halloween event, you can stay and do some shopping. We also have a great entertainment district in Jackson street,” George said.

Be sure to watch out for a cut-out cow that will be roaming the streets of Anoka in celebration of how the festivities came to be. Take selfies with the Holstein and post them on Facebook and Instagram.