Welcome to Bedtime History.
Hello, this is Breck.
If you enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe to be notified about new episodes.
And to get our entire catalog of episodes ad-free, you can subscribe via Apple Podcasts.
The other evening my daughter came to me asking about some new sunglasses she wanted.
We looked them up online and then together made a list of chores, set some goals and decided how much she'd need to save for the new glasses.
Acorn's early chore feature makes it super easy for kids to track chores and get paid.
I love that my kids can earn and save their own money and feel empowered to make their own purchases.
It's very rewarding.
And Acorns Early is super easy to use.
We installed the app, a debit card came in the mail and then my kids use the app to track chores, get paid and spend using their very own debit card.
All with me still in control, thanks to spending limits and real-time notifications.
Ready to teach your kids the smart way to earn, save, and spend?
Get your first month on us when you go to acornsearlycom forward, slash bedtime history or download the Acorns Early app.
That's one month free at acornsearly.com forward slash bedtime history.
Acorns Early Card is issued by Community Federal Savings Bank member FDIC, pursuant to license by MasterCard International.
Free trial for new subscribers only.
Subscription fees starting from $5 per month and less canceled.
Terms apply at acornsearly.com forward slash early terms.
Close your eyes and imagine you're driving with your family on a cool October evening.
Orange and yellow leaves flutter down from the trees.
Your dad turns onto Main Street and suddenly you can't believe your eyes.
Every single house is decorated for Halloween.
There are pumpkins on every porch.
Witches hang from trees.
Skeletons dance in yards.
Giant spider webs cover bushes.
But that's not all.
The whole street is filled with people in costumes walking around, laughing, and having fun.
There's a parade with marching bands and floats.
There are special shows and festivals.
Your little brother presses his face against the car window and says This is the coolest place ever.
Your mom smiles and says, Welcome to a town that really loves Halloween.
Some towns in America don't just celebrate Halloween for one night.
They celebrate it for weeks or even the whole month of October.
Let's visit three of the most amazing Halloween towns in the country.
Our first stop is Anoka, Minnesota.
This small town has a very special nickname.
It's called the Halloween Capital of the World.
That's a big title for a town of only about 17,000 people.
But Anoka earned that name by being one of the very first cities in America to celebrate Halloween in a big, organized way.
The story starts way back in 1919.
Back then kids played pranks on Halloween night.
But in Anoka, the pranks got out of hand.
Kids tipped over outhouses, which are like outdoor bathrooms.
They soaped windows so people couldn't see through them.
They broke fences and smashed things.
One Halloween night, some kids even let a whole herd of cows loose, and the animals wandered through the streets of downtown Anoka the next morning.
The grownups in town were not happy.
The town leaders had an idea.
Instead of just getting mad at the kids, why not give them something fun to do?
In 1920, they organized the first big Halloween celebration.
They held a parade, they had parties and games, they gave out prizes for costumes.
The kids loved it so much that they forgot all about playing pranks.
The celebration was such a success that Anoka decided to do it again the next year and the year after that, and the year after that.
The celebration continued every year, except for 1942 and 1943, during World War II, when many people in town were focused on helping with the war effort.
But as soon as the war ended, the Halloween celebration came back bigger than ever.
In 1937, something really cool happened.
A 12-year-old boy from Anoka named Harold Blair won a contest for paper boys.
His prize was a trip to Washington, D.C.
Harold was so proud of his town's Halloween celebration that he wore a special homemade sweater with the words Halloween Capital on it.
When he met with a representative from Minnesota, he told everyone about Anoka's amazing Halloween tradition.
The name stuck, and from then on, Anoka became known as the Halloween capital of the world.
Today Anoka celebrates Halloween for the entire month of October.
There are parades almost every week.
There's a costume contest, a pumpkin bowl game and a Halloween ball.
People come from all over Minnesota and even from other states to join the celebration.
The whole town gets decorated with orange and black.
It's like the entire month of October is one big Halloween party.
Now let's travel east to New York to visit Sleepy Hollow.
This town's connection to Halloween is different from Anoka's.
Sleepy Hollow is famous because of a story written more than 200 years ago.
In 1820, an author named Washington Irving wrote a spooky tale called The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
The story is about a school teacher named Ichabod Crane, who has a scary encounter with the Headless Horseman, a ghostly rider.
Irving based his story on this real place in New York.
The town was actually called North Tarrytown back then.
But in 1996 the town officially changed its name to Sleepy Hollow, because the story had made it so famous.
Today, Sleepy Hollow embraces its spooky reputation.
Every October, the town celebrates with special events.
One of the most popular is the Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze.
This isn't just a few carved pumpkins on someone's porch.
It's more than 10,000 hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins arranged in incredible displays.
People walk through the outdoor exhibit and see pumpkins carved into dinosaurs, buildings and all sorts of amazing designs.
The jack-o'-lanterns light up the night in the most magical way.
The town also has storytelling events where actors perform Washington Irving's famous tale.
There are haunted hayrides and ghost tours.
People visit the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which is beautiful and historic.
Washington Irving himself is buried there.
The whole area feels like stepping back in time, especially in October, when the leaves change color and there's a chill in the air.
Sleepy Hollow shows how a story can make a place special.
Irving's Tale put this little town on the map, and now people from all over the world come to visit during Halloween season.
They want to see the place that inspired the legend of the Headless Horseman.
Our last stop is Salem, Massachusetts.
Salem is probably the most famous Halloween town in America.
Every October, Salem welcomes about 1 million visitors.
That's a lot of people for a city of only about 45,000 residents.
Salem has a long and interesting history.
The town is hundreds of years old and was an important port city in early America.
It later became known for what became known as the Salem Witch Trials.
Today, Salem celebrates Halloween throughout the entire month of October with an event called Haunted Happenings.
It's been called the world's largest Halloween celebration.
The Haunted Happenings festival includes something for everyone.
There's a big grand parade on the first Thursday of October where people march through the streets in amazing costumes.
There are street fairs with vendors selling crafts, food, and Halloween decorations.
There are costume parties and contests.
There are magic shows and special performances.
One of the coolest things about Salem in October is seeing all the costumes.
People don't just wear costumes on Halloween night.
They wear them throughout the whole month.
You might see pirates walking down the street on a Tuesday afternoon.
You might see families dressed as superheroes or fairy tale characters shopping for lunch.
It's like the whole city becomes one big costume party.
The streets of downtown Salem are lined with shops that sell Halloween decorations, costumes and treats.
There are restaurants with special Halloween menus.
Even the regular stores get into the spirit by decorating their windows with pumpkins and autumn leaves.
What makes these three towns so special isn't just that they celebrate Halloween.
It's that they bring their whole communities together to have fun.
In Anoka, neighbors work together to organize parades and parties.
In Sleepy Hollow, people keep an old legend alive by sharing stories and creating beautiful pumpkin displays.
In Salem, the entire city transforms for a month to welcome visitors and celebrate autumn.
These towns show us that Halloween can be about more than just one night of trick or treating.
It can be about creativity, community, and having fun with your neighbors.
It can be about dressing up in costumes and using your imagination.
It can be about celebrating autumn with pumpkins, colorful leaves, and crisp, cool air.
The best part about Halloween isn't the candy or the scary decorations.
It's about having fun with the people you care about.
It's about using your imagination and being creative.
It's about celebrating the beautiful autumn season.
The people in Anoka, Sleepy Hollow, and Salem understand this.
They've turned Halloween into something bigger than just one night.
They've made it a celebration that brings joy to thousands of people and creates memories that last a lifetime.
So this Halloween season, think about what makes these towns special.
Think about how they celebrate not just for one night, but for weeks.
Think about how they bring their communities together.
Maybe you can help make your own town or neighborhood a little more like the Halloween capital of the world, even if it's just for one special night.
After all, the magic of Halloween isn't about where you are.
It's about having fun, being creative, and celebrating with the people around you.
