What were your Halloween traditions growing up? Your answer, of course, depends on when you were born and where you were living. As with many of these types of questions that I ask of Arlingtonians, the answers vary. For me, growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, the traditions were very basic: usually, a home-made costume, with a plastic pumpkin or perhaps a pillowcase to collect treats from the neighbors. We would go to every house on the block, including the scary neighbors who, in our view, did not like children. (They did give out candied apples, which I never ate). 

I do not remember any tradition of “scary” tombstones or other types of house decorations, but I do recall folks being concerned about neighborhood pranks on the night before Halloween. In our area it was referred to as “Goosey Night”, though I understand that other regions might have called it Mischief Night or Cabbage Night (where incorrigible youths would throw cabbages at houses). Other pranks generally included soaping car windows, throwing toilet paper in trees, or moving neighborhood objects.  

I am teaching a course this fall for Encore Learning, about life in Arlington from 1900 to 1930. In reading the many interviews on file at the Charlie Clark Center for Local History, I did find one reference to a turn-of-the-century tradition of pranks on the night before Halloween (though the person being interviewed sadly did not divulge any specific type of prank). Otherwise, Halloween involved modest costumes for the children, and homemade sweets from the neighbors. 

As a community, we seem to be at a cultural point of making Halloween “the new Christmas” (that is, when it comes to decorations on people’s front lawns). Is it just me, or have you noticed not only the many decorations, but also the early “start period” for putting up those decorations? 

These days, there also appears to be a proliferation of Halloween-related events for people of all ages. And to that end, I would like to segue to a shout-out for our community’s Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (MoCA Arlington is their acronym). MoCA Arlington is yet another one of Arlington’s non-profit treasures. It was established in 1974 and has been housed since 1976 in an historic school building at Wilson Boulevard and Monroe Street. Their front lawn is very noticeable, with a large statue of Lady Liberty reclining on the grass, created by artist Zaq Landsberg, called Reclining Liberty. Their facility includes nine exhibition galleries, working studios for twelve artists, and three classrooms. 

MoCA Arlington now has another location  in the National Landing neighborhood, known as the MoCA Arlington Innovation Studio + Store, which has lots of activities for children and adults. In September I visited the studio, and had a terrific discussion with current (it changes every 6 to 8 weeks) artist-in-residence, David Amoroso. MoCA Arlington also sponsors a “MoCA On the Move” program each Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the nearby Metropolitan Park. There is so much going on that the best I can do is point you to their website for more information (mocaarlington.org). 

Their Halloween-related events begin with a dog costume contest, Howl-ween!, on October 21 at Metropolitan Park. Their big event is on Saturday, November 1, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., as MoCA Arlington is hosting an evening picnic on the lawn of the Museum site on Wilson Boulevard.  It will be a “Dia de los Muertos” celebration, with family-friendly activities (such as mask decorations), vendors, performances, and games. The artist David Amoroso is building a large-scale altar on the front portico of the building where your loved ones who have passed may be honored. And you can visit the exhibits in the galleries that evening. 

MoCA Arlington is an independent non-profit organization, and not a county agency, as it holds a lease with Arlington County to operate within the building.  With their mission of enriching community life by connecting the public with contemporary art and artists through exhibitions, educational programs, public programs, and artist residencies, MoCA Arlington is just one of numerous examples of the value of partnerships between the County and our many non-profit institutions in Arlington.