ANOKA, Minn. – (Oct. 22, 2015) – Halloween is just around the corner, and perhaps there is no better place in the country to celebrate Halloween than the City of Anoka. Events started earlier this month and run all the way through the morning after the holiday.
“We have three parades. We have two pumpkin carving contests this year, one for adults and one for children. And then we have a speed-eating contest, a pet costume contest, and then we have just a lot of free events that are great for families to come out and participate in, and we also have a gift shop this year which is our first year ever.”, said Brooke Beaton, an Anoka Halloween Volunteer..
The Anoka Halloween festivities began in 1920, when the adults in the community got fed up with what some of the kids were doing.
Beaton said, “Well Anoka Halloween was started in about 1920 and the reason we started was because there were quite a few things going on in Anoka that the youth were getting into. Some pranks, we had more tricks than treats going on, so the community leaders decided that they needed to come up with something to keep the youth busy during Halloween, because that seems to be the peak for any kind of pranks or tricks.”
You may know that Anoka is the Halloween capital of the world, and they aren’t making it up. A document from Congress dating back to the 30’s gives them the title.
“In 1937 we were actually recognized by Congress as the Halloween Capital of the World and the reason for that is that we are the longest running, organized Halloween festival.”
Click here for more information on this year’s Halloween festivities in Anoka.
