Trick or Treat

Terry and Brenda Todt and family in 1994

Earlier this week, I was telling my son tales about the Halloweens gone by, the real Halloweens back home in Raymond. It was the good old days, back before there were superstores and access to all kinds of fancy costumes and decor. We had the same stuff to work with year after year, and it was stored in a big cardboard box way up on the top shelf of a closet. About a week before Halloween, Dad would use a ladder to get it down. The box was full of old masks and various props, and you had to be creative and use your imagination to reinvent yourself year after year.

The masks were old and uncomfortable. They were made out of hard plastic and you could barely breathe, let alone see out of them. They were held on your head by a thin elastic band that itched and always got tangled in your hair or ended up snapping you in the face. The “costumes” were usually clothes that were too big or worn out, and you had to use real ingenuity to get your costume together.

The days leading up to Halloween were exciting. You selected the perfect pumpkin(s), carved them, and made sure you had a supply of candles. Various clubs and organizations like 4-H, Scouts, and church groups hosted hay rides that cruised through the countryside after dark before making a couple of passes through town, leaving a hay trail on the streets. My mom always worried about hayrides because she thought they were too dangerous. I thought hayrides were great fun. What could possibly be dangerous about fifty unruly kids wrestling around in the back of a hay wagon that's being pulled by a tractor down dark country roads? Mom always lectured my sisters about how they should never wear jewelry on a hayride, especially hoop earrings, because a young woman had once gotten her ear ripped off when her hoop earring got caught on a wagon. (To this day, I’m still not convinced that that ever really happened to anyone.)

My friends and I spent our Sundays in October playing in the leaves, coming up with ideas for the haunted house we were always going to build but never did, and trick-or-treating for UNICEF. As Halloween grew closer, the soaping started. It was mainly on the storefront windows on Main Street, and sometimes on certain people’s car windows or houses. It was common knowledge that Ivory or Dove brands worked the best, and if you really wanted to “get” someone, you used paraffin. I remember walking up and down the aisles of Mizera’s Market, my pockets jingling with the change that a half-dozen kids had pooled together, trying to build up the courage to purchase the soap and toilet paper from Mrs. Mizera.  I must admit it was worth every penny, because the TP did look really cool hanging from the tree limbs on a dark, windy Halloween night. 

Trick-or-treating in Raymond went on for two or three nights back then because you had to have time to go to everyone’s house in town. Not only did you stop at almost every house, but you were invited inside and stood there while they tried to guess who you were. And after they got done guessing they gave you FULL-SIZE candy bars, not the little miniatures that get handed out now. An added bonus was that it was not necessary for your parents to go through all your stuff to make sure it was safe.

Mrs. Blodgett, the widow who lived next door to the Ondreys', would dress up a like a witch and give out candy. We were scared to death of her all year round, but particularly on Halloween, and it would take us a while to work up the courage to actually ring her doorbell. (Of course our perceptions of her were entirely wrong, and we eventually learned that she was one of the nicest people ever.)

Many years later, Raymond started hosting an annual Halloween parade. While I didn’t have any luck finding a picture from Halloween from way back in the day, I did find this cute picture of Terry and Brenda Todt and their family, taken in 1994 at Raymond's Halloween parade.

More on the Fire Department...

Last week my blog featured news from when the Raymond Fire Protection District was formed as well as information about the history of the Raymond-Harvel Fire Department. This week,  I'm following up with an article that appeared in the October 25, 1951 issue of The Raymond News about the second fire call. The first fire call was at the Farmersville Elevator, and it is mentioned later in the article.

Charles Bandy (left) and Darrell Pitchford in 1986
when Bandy retired as chief of the fire department. 

My dad, Charles Bandy, was a charter member of the fire department and served as fire chief from 1961 to 1986 when Darrell Pitchford took over. Back before the days of pagers, the firemen primarily relied on the fire siren to notify them of calls. When the fire siren rang, folks would come out of the stores and their homes to see what direction the trucks headed. People who were driving when the fire siren went off knew they better get out of the way, because the streets would soon be overrun by fireman (usually driving pick-up trucks) who would come racing through town. 

Dad operated the variety store on Main Street, so on weekdays he was often the first one to arrive at the fire house, and he would open the doors and start up the trucks. He had a 5x7 note printed in his handwriting with the words "Gone to a fire!" that he taped near the front door of the store. When the fire siren blew, he would put the note on the door, lock up, and run to the fire house. If there happened to be customers in the store, he would leave someone in charge of the cash register and all the merchandise. 

Back in those days before the 911 system, people called 3121 to report a fire. This line was connected to a special "fire phone" that rang at both our house and at Hough Funeral Home. Hough's would then activate the telephone system to notify the volunteers. If the phone rang when Dad was not home, we had to wait until Hough's answered it, and then we could pick it up and listen to the conversation. Occasionally it was a wrong number, but if the fire phone rang after 9:00 p.m., you knew there was a real emergency. 

Raymond-Harvel Fire Department

In the early 1950's, community members began to recognize the need for an organized fire department in Raymond, and a special election was held to establish a fire protection district. The following article was published in the March 21, 1951 issue of The Raymond News: 

New Fire Station at Raymond Nears Completion
(The Raymond News, November 1, 1951)

(Raymond News Photo)

The above picture is of the new building in which the Raymond Fire Department’s new fire truck and firefighting equipment will be kept. The building is erected on the site where the Town Hall previously stood. Work on this building was started about six weeks ago. Although the building is not completed, work has stopped for the present while waiting for material, doors, etc.

The carpenter work was done by Jess Mitts and son Henry. The roof and brick siding by the S.L. Fix Roofing Co., and the plumbing work by the Hough Plumbing Co. all of Raymond. When the fire station is completed and the men have their coats, hats and boots, Raymond will have an A-1 firefighting department.

The following photo and article that appeared in Raymond's 125th Anniversary Book published in 1996:

An early photograph of the Raymond volunteer firemen with their 1951 truck. Pictured are (from left) Joe Bergman, Hank Mitts, Bud Hannon, Tom Mizera, Stanley Fix, and Cecil Pitchford.

An organizational meeting was held for the Raymond Fire Protection District at the First National Bank in Raymond on March 16, 1951. It was attended by D.O. Cox, K.O. Hanks, and Cecil Pitchford. Discussion on the type of fire apparatus and fire hose needed was held, and officers were elected with K.O. Hanks President, D.O. Cox Secretary-Treasurer, S.L.·Fix Fire Chief, Thomas Mizera, Assistant Chief, Joe Bergman, Assistant Chief, Claude Todt, Secretary, and Joe McNeal Treasurer of the fire department.

Charles Bandy was appointed Fire Chief in August, 1961, and held the position for 25 years until he retired. Darrell Pitchford was appointed to fill the position.

On March 1, 1989, the Raymond Fire District was approached about annexing and merging the Harvel Fire Department with the Raymond Fire Department. After petitions, elections, and many decision-making meetings, the two departments became one, as the Raymond-Harvel Fire Department under the Raymond Fire Protection District. During the time of the annexation, the District Board was comprised of Ray Held, President; Edward Weitekamp, Secretary-Treasurer; and Mitchell Engelman.

In February of 1996, Honorary Firemen were Devoy Bechtel, Charles Bandy, Bill Bergman, Bob Hough, Howard Mitts, Kenneth Wagahoff, Carl Routt, Robert Poggenpohl, Leroy Molen, Dale Ogden, Gayle Trulock, Carl Peger, Leland Bockewitz, Larry Miller, Jim Hitchings, Glenn Myers, Gary Kolkhorst, John Herman, Kenneth Armour, Jim Langheim, Earl Viehland, Richard Bails, Howard Beiermann, Gary Bergschneider, Tom Irwin, Rex Pitchford, and Robert Specht.

The firemen have a picnic each year at the city park for their families and the trustees of the Fire District and their families. It is an afternoon of visiting and playing, and all ages enjoy a ride on the fire trucks.

The Fire District trustees host an appreciation dinner each January for the firemen and spouses to recognize them for all the hard work, training, and hours for the community by the volunteers.

Active Fireman in 1996

According to Raymond's 125th Anniversary book, in 1996, members of the Raymond-Harvel Fire Department included: (front row from left) Dennis Skinner, Jim Clayton - captain, John Smith, Wayne Angle - assitant chief, Darrell Pitchford - chief, Tim Lebeck­ assistant chief, Jerry Hefley- secretary and captain, Ivan Benning- treasurer, Denny Held - Sargent at Arms, Ralph Bockewitz.

(Second row from left) George Hough, Shawn Allen, Dan Hough, Mike Masten, Joe Martin, Chad Williams, Dan McCallum, Rick Broaddus, Dennis Williams, Mick Broaddus - rescue squad
co-captain.

(Third row from left) Ron Bergschneider, Ron Springfloat, Mark Myers, Bill Held, Greg Holder, Allen Poggenpohl, Bill Vanzant, Steve Bails. 

(Back row from left) Mike Hough, Russell Poggenpohl­ rescue squad co-captain, Bruce Poggenpohl, Bob Holder, Roy Young- Sargent at Arms, Mo Jenkins, and Doug Pitchford.

Be Careful With Your Junk

The Village of Raymond was incorporated on November 11, 1871. According to Raymond's 125th Anniversary Book, "a meeting of the residents was held and there was a unanimous vote to incorporate." The town's first trustees were R.M. VanDoren, C.M. Davis, Nimrod McElroy, Fred Schmidt, and F.M. McGown. Officers included: R.M. VanDoren, president; E.A. Hanna, clerk; Winfeld P. Carter, treasurer; Frank Boyd, constable, collector and street commissioner; and E.A. Hanna, assessor.

Throughout Raymond's history, many dedicated, community-minded individuals have stepped up to serve on the Village Board. In addition to governing the town and providing essential services, the mayor and the trustees deal with various complaints from the public. When I was growing up, it seemed like people were always complaining about things like excessive dog barking, illegal burning, irresponsible neighbors, and tall grass. Prior generations apparently had an issue with waste management, and while I'm sure it was a very serious issue at the time, I had to laugh when I read the following article that appeared in the October 7, 1943 issue of The Raymond News: 

Comments, photos, and ideas for future Throwback Thursday topics are always welcome. Please email me at pinkston.jan@gmail.com. 

"Speed" McClurg Accident

Raymond News photo

        The photo above and article below appeared in the January 3, 1952 Raymond News

        Two Raymond Men Injured In Head-on Accident

Two Raymond men were injured Monday afternoon when the car driven by “Speed” McClurg went off the pavement and in bringing the car back on the road it skidded across the pavement and hit the car driven by Frank Sheff.

Both men were injured and were taken to the St. Francis hospital in the Hough ambulance for observation and treatment for bruises, shock, etc. Mr. Sheff was able to return home that afternoon but Mr. McClurg remained in the hospital where he will be a patient for the next few days.

The accident occurred about 4:00 o’clock p.m. about a half mile south of Raymond on Route 127. Both cars, pictured above, were badly damaged.

The car on the left was driven by Mr. Sheff and the one on the right by Mr. McClurg.