Contributed by Teresa Douglass, Genealogy Specialist
A community-wide Halloween celebration has taken place in Corydon since 1934. This first formally organized event included a parade, a costume contest, and a community dance held in the courthouse lobby. The Chamber of Commerce, along with various civic and fraternal organizations, sponsored the event, which was intended to provide an orderly, structured entertainment option for the entire community.
The following three articles from The Corydon Democrat describe the plans and details of the 1934 event, revealing the community spirit behind its planning and promotion, as well as the engagement of participants.
This first article, dated October 17, 1934, introduces the event plan to the public.
A second article appeared a week later in the October 24, 1934, edition of the newspaper. This article provides specific details about the parade and dance, as well as the prize categories for the costume contest. The article also provides “Halloween Suggestions” for costume ideas.
After the event, a third article was published in the paper on October 31, 1934. It gives a colorful description of the festivities and notes the wide variety of interesting costumes that appeared. The names of winners in each prize category are listed, and the conclusion is that “the entire evening’s fun was orderly and well organized and everyone seemed to have a good time.”
