NORTHVILLIANS,
The Community is gearing up for our Norman Rockwell “Halloween in the Ville” this Monday.
Halloween Comes to NORTHVILLE – let’s look at activities through the years:
1908 – The Record reported that on this Halloween night some young pranksters took the front steps off a residence in the Historic District, and in 1938 a sugar beet was tossed through a window in Orchard Heights.
1951 – Ted Simms’ orchestra played for the Northville Halloween masquerade dance sponsored by the American Legion, with a “Boogie Woogie” pianist.
1953 – Another of the VFW & Foreign Legion-sponsored community Halloween dances took place at the High School gym with orchestras from all over Detroit.
1956 – Halloween festivities began with hours of free movies at the Marquis Theatre (called P & A Theatre at the time). A special high school Halloween dance took place at the Community Center, and 45 award-winning jack-o-lanterns from all the schools were on display (sponsored by the Mothers Club).
1960 – Northville trick-or-treaters collected money on Halloween from generous local residents for UNICEF, a fundraiser sponsored by the local churches.
1965 – The Northville Fire Department started their annual Halloween event and received great recognition regionally. Northville firefighters popped corn (more than 25 pounds of it!) and gave out hundreds of local apples. John McGuire (Guernsey’s) donated the popcorn machine, Fred Casterline provided the apples and Mayor Allen the popcorn. This tradition has continued to this day, now in its 57th year!
1983 – Northville firefighters continued to host thousands of folks at their annual event. Chief Allen observed that “it just keeps growing, like Halloween in the Ville!”
2010 – TheNorthville Record wrote about one local family, the Danols, and their themed Halloween events through the years. In 1988, the Danols started transforming their home (like many others in town) into various Halloween themes: Pirates of the Caribbean, Wild West, Monster Mash, Trolls, Star Trek, just to name a few.
2011 – The DDA debuted “Skeletons Alive” in downtown Northville, with 10 skeletons that were the delight of the community. This fun event continues to grow yearly, now up to over 125 skeletons on display, with other activities happening in town through Halloween.
2022 – Northville will once again close many streets for our youthful trick-or-treaters, and the Fire Department will be hosting their annual Halloween open house.
Come enjoy some tricks & treats in downtown Northville, or just walk about enjoying the ambiance and all the people that have come to town. This concludes our “Fall Series.” We’ll transition to “Remembrances in Town” over the coming weeks including Patriotism in the Ville, Veterans Days through history, and much more.
Keep that Northville Halloween Faith!
Brian Turnbull
Mayor – Northville
BTurnbull@ci.northville.mi.us / 248.505.6849
(Reach out to me anytime or forward this communication to others interested.)
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