Minnesota’s Halloween Town
By Jake Richards, IT Specialist Individual Placement / AmeriCorps Member placed at Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Trails
Autumn is a special time in Minnesota. As the weather starts to cool and the leaves turn red across the state, a lot of culture comes with it. One such instance of the vibrant fall culture in Minnesota is a town that has taken their commitment to “frights” to another level by claiming to be the “Halloween Capital of the World”. That city is Anoka, MN and in this post, I’m going to tell a story about how an unsuspecting city, roughly 20 miles from Minneapolis, gets to stake its claim as the global capital of spooky season.
Anoka’s claim to being the “Halloween Capital of the World” started over 100 years ago, in the year 1920. According to historical reports, local teenagers had been getting into mischief on Halloween night for the past few years, causing local business owners and community leaders to brainstorm a solution. These leaders formed a “Halloween Committee” and scheduled a parade and other various events to take place in the city, hoping to give the troublemakers something to do to bring their mischief to an end. Their plan worked flawlessly, as the whole city was lively during the planned events and according to newspaper reports, the “mischief” went away as everyone participated in the Halloween festivities. Special Halloween buttons were handed out every year to commemorate the festivities. On top of that, individuals marched in costume parades with costumes that grew and changed with the wider culture, and as years went by and the Halloween Capital’s mythos grew, even got the chance to meet local celebrities as they showed up to Anoka to witness the festivities.
Fast forwarding to the present, the Halloween celebration continues in Anoka in full force. There are now multiple parades that take place every year, allowing for younger participants to share their costumes during the day while keeping the tradition of the evening parade as well. This along with other events going on has created a celebration that regularly exceeds 60,000 attendees. The city itself remains very similar to its old layout, allowing for Halloween visitors to visit local establishments on foot, stop at the famous Jack-O-Lantern roundabout (see below), or just taking in the spooky ambiance while the city celebrates around you. If you find yourself looking for some eerie entertainment this Halloween, take a trip up to Anoka and take in what the “Halloween Capital of the World.” has to offer.
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