Halloween such a special time for kids

Published 8:14 pm Friday, October 28, 2016

I had to work hard to keep tears from rolling down my cheeks as I watched the kids at the Crawford Street United Methodist Church Playschool Fall Festival on Wednesday. Those little guys were so cute dressed in their Halloween costumes and running around the church’s Floral Hall. It reminded me of the days when I was a young mother, and it was my babies who were the school’s students.

One little girl who was laughing and running around reminded me of my oldest, blonde and full of energy. She did not need mommy or daddy close by, she was confident without them.

Then there was the little red head. I had a red head, too.

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The days when my children were young will go down as some of the best times of my life, and Halloween especially was always a day that we all enjoyed.

It’s funny, I still remember most of my kids’ costumes.

One year my son dressed as Dracula. We bought him a black cape and painted a dark widows peak on his forehead, and he loved wearing those vampire teeth!

My middle daughter was the shy one in the group and was fearful of venturing too far from me for many of her younger years. Fortunately she grew out of that phase, and there was one Halloween when I remember she wore an antebellum styled dress.

And on that night, she did not seem to have a timid bone in her body with that costume, she acted every bit the prissy Southern Belle, parasol and all.

Those playschool fall festivals were fun, but it truly was the neighborhood Halloween parties that were the season’s highlight.

All our friends and neighbors would gather together at someone’s home where we would serve hotdogs, chips and brownies before heading out to trick-or-treat. As the kids got older, we transitioned to meeting in the cul-de-sac on one of the neighborhood streets.

We would set up tables and folks would bring a smorgasbord of finger foods.

For one of the gatherings, I remember a dad even rigged up a trailer and hooked it to his four-wheeler. All the kids and some of us adults piled on as we made our way from house to house.

Even though the parties were geared for the kids, us grown-ups also had a good time.

I may not be buying and making costumes or walking the streets any more since my little goblins are grown and gone, but that will not keep me from remembering my wonderful memories of Halloween days gone by.

Happy Halloween!
Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer at The Vicksburg Post. You may reach her at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com. Readers are invited to submit their opinions for publication.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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