How the h@ll does trick-or-treating work in central Iowa?

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MNCyGuy

Well-Known Member
Jan 14, 2009
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Des Moines
So my son is too young to do much besides swing by some of our friends houses in his costume, but I know there are other little kids in our neighborhood so I figure I should be prepared. My wife and I both grew up in Minnesota and have only lived in apartments in Iowa until we bought our house in Des Moines this year. Every year I see things like "Beggar's Night" and "telling jokes" floated out on these boards and they are foreign concepts to me. Please give me a crash course.
 

aeroclone

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Oct 30, 2006
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So my son is too young to do much besides swing by some of our friends houses in his costume, but I know there are other little kids in our neighborhood so I figure I should be prepared. My wife and I both grew up in Minnesota and have only lived in apartments in Iowa until we bought our house in Des Moines this year. Every year I see things like "Beggar's Night" and "telling jokes" floated out on these boards and they are foreign concepts to me. Please give me a crash course.

I can give you some insight on this from the opposite perspective. I grew up around Des Moines and then moved out of state. Where we live now, kids trick-or-treat on the evening of the 31st, and just run from house to house grabbing candy. Our first year here, when I asked someone about Beggar's Night they looked at me like I was from Mars or something. Basically, in Central Iowa at least, communities schedule their trick-or-treat for a specified date and time, which is referred to as Beggar's Night. It is also the norm for the kids to tell jokes at each house. Technically I suppose this is more trick and treat. But my TV told me and is better, and TV would never lie.
 

MNCyGuy

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Jan 14, 2009
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Des Moines
I'm from MN too and bought a house here, too. Having a planned "begger's night" is weird. In MN it's spontaneous and here it seems to end before it even gets dark.

If the idea is to have the planned night be on a non-school night, that makes sense, but I'm not even sure that's the case.
 

3TrueFans

Just a Happily Married Man
Sep 10, 2009
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1) Approach house with front light on
2) Knock or ring bell
3) Say "Trick or Treat"
4) Prepare bag for candy
5) Say "Thank you"
6) Repeat
 

SerenityNow

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Dec 4, 2009
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Central Iowa
Most towns are from 6 to 8 and range from the 29th to the 31st (should be on your town's website). I've been out with my kids each year and it's "trick or treat", get your loot and move on. Every now and then a home owner will ask for a joke, but that's it. Pretty simple really.
 

3TrueFans

Just a Happily Married Man
Sep 10, 2009
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Don't be the house that gives crappy candy. If you're giving out those ******* flavored Tootsie Rolls you might as well shove them up your ***, nobody likes those things.
 

MNCyGuy

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Jan 14, 2009
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Des Moines
Don't know what city you're from in MN but we went out on the 31st regardless of the day in Saint Paul.

No, that's what I grew up with too. I was just saying, that the idea to come up with a separate night is not a crazy one, just unfamiliar to me personally.
 

Rabbuk

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Mar 1, 2011
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You should answer the door to trick or treaters with your pants off, thats how it's done in Central Iowa.
 

Mr Janny

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Don't be the house that gives crappy candy. If you're giving out those ******* flavored Tootsie Rolls you might as well shove them up your ***, nobody likes those things.

??? Are you kidding? The fruit flavored ones put the regular, turd-looking tootsie rolls to shame.
 

ianoconnor

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Nov 11, 2007
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Growing up in Ohio, we always did trick or treating on Halloween. I hadn't heard of the joke thing until I saw a story about it on one of the DSM news stations. It's weird, but I will admit some of the kids have pretty funny/cute jokes.

Another thing we did not do in Ohio -- May day baskets.
 

Jambalaya

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May 29, 2008
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So my son is too young to do much besides swing by some of our friends houses in his costume, but I know there are other little kids in our neighborhood so I figure I should be prepared. My wife and I both grew up in Minnesota and have only lived in apartments in Iowa until we bought our house in Des Moines this year. Every year I see things like "Beggar's Night" and "telling jokes" floated out on these boards and they are foreign concepts to me. Please give me a crash course.
Halloween's origin's are Christian & Gaelic.....for that reason most kids in public grade schools anymore can't wear a costume to school or have a Halloween party. Don't want to offend the haters
 

Me State

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Oct 19, 2007
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beggars night it awful and central Iowa should be ashamed of it.

Celebrate Halloween on Halloween. Say Trick-or-Treat not some stupid joke that no one finds funny.

The rest of the country does it right but for some reason central Iowa seems proud that they have a ****ed up way to celebrate Halloween.

I love Halloween. I despise beggars night.