Lauren Packer editor in chief Dana Vaccaro, editor The only town in the United States to have the word "pump kin" in its name is Pumpkin Center, N.C. Other places include Transylvania County, N.C., and Pumpkin Bend Township, Ark. 894.9 million- The total pounds of U.S. pumpkin production in 2000. The total value of these pumpkins was $101.6 million The fastest time to carve a face into a pumpkin is 54.72 seconds. Stephen Clarke of NJ holds he current record, beating his previous record of one minute 14 seconds. To I) /11/0 S'icariest 10. "fraserhead." (1977) 9. "The Exorcls+." (1,=)„ 8. "ff a(10 w e en." (1978) 7. "Don't Look Wow." (1973) 6. 'The Texas Cheinsow Massacre." (197'#) S. "Mighfivaare on ftm Street. ,, (1981 L) 1. "Suspirla." (197 n 3. "Wish+ of +he Living Dead." (1968) "Reputsion." (11965) 1. "Psycho." (1960) Source: MSN.coin DID YOU KNOW? No words in the dictionary rhyme with orange 41.1 million-The number of potential "trick-or-treaters," age 5-14, according to the Census 2000. California has the largest amount of "trick-or-treaters.' th 5.3 million children ages 5-14. Irish tradition is believed to have started the tradition of trick-or-treating. In preparation for All Hallow's Eve, the Irish would visit neighbors and ask for food in preparation for a feast. The world record for most lit jack-o-lanterns is 23, 727 set by Keene, N.H. at the Pumpkin Festival. Source: Gusiness 800 of World Records nd Census 2000 IA RANDOM FUN FACTS AND FIGURES Snickers is the most popular candy to give away on Hallow- Halloween remains second only to Christmas in home decorating. Costume sales exceed over 10 billion dollars. Magician Harry Houdini died on Oct. 31, 1926, from gan grene and peritonitus resulting from a ruptured appendix. In 1996, Americans ate 20 mil lion pounds of candy corn. Over 2.5 billion dollars is spent during Halloween, making the Christ- Friday October 31, 2003 Count Dracula's Legend Transylvania, Romania, is home to the legend of Count Dracula, made famous by Bram Stoker's fictional book "Dracula." The idea behind the character stems from a real life ruler named Vlad Dracula. So the legend begins. In 1431, Vlad Dracula, which means "devil," was born to the family that founded Wallachia, now present day Ro mania. When Dracula became the next ruler of Wallachia, he launched an assault on the neighboring Ottoman and Carpathian empires. His prisoners were executed by im paling them with wooden stakes. He then hung their bod ies from the trees in Transylvania. Dracula ruled his kingdom with the power of terror. Dracula's family revolted against him and forced him out of the capital city. Dracula escaped to his personal castle. He was then assassinated around 1476 in the forests near Bucharest. Source: WWW. sus. SU. (WU Remember Elvira. Halloween lanterns were origi nally a means of lighting the dark nights and keeping travel lers safe rom wandering spirits and fairies. There is such a thing as vampire bats. They require about one tablespoon of blood a day, mostly from dairy cattle and other wild and domestic ani mals. Bat guano (manure) is consid ered by far the richest and best of manures. Halloween is the eighth largest card-sending occasion. There are more than 28 million sent each year. 6 go6`Prt 6n th 4 c 195 Dan Rather- CBS Anchor Rapper Vanilla Ice Comedian John Candy Actor Michael Landon Student Government MCC Representatve George Morgan 111 *First nationally syndicated horror show host. *First person to be broadcast in 3-D *First female to twirl tassels on national television *First female celebrity to do a national bee campaign *First celebrity to market own beer, Elvir Night Brew. *Real name is Cassandra Peterson and is an animal rights activists. According to the U.S. Census: The first recorded instance of • Halloween celebration was i 1921 in Anoka, Minn. Americans consumed 24 pound. of candy per capita in 2002. Mos of this consumption is believed ti be by children on or immediatel following Halloween. 2,715- The number of formal wea and costume rental establishment: across the nation in 2001. The Behrend Beacon CA N DY CORN QUICK FACTS , 3.57 calories/kernel 75 percent of candy corn production is for Halloween. ++Other Varieties Include++ Reindeer corn for Christmas (red, green, white) Indian corn for Autumn (chocolate and vanilla) Cupid corn for Valentine's (red, pink, white) Bunny corn for Easter (pastel-colored) The first person to invent candy corn is unknown, but the Wunderle Candy Com pany of Philadelphia was the first to go into commercial production. The National Confectioners Association estimates that in 2001 candy manufacturers sold more than 20 million pounds of candy corn. That's roughly 8.3 billion kernels. Source: hountedbov.com Top lo G on~-gs 10. "Monster Mash" Bob6y Picket+ 9. "GhosOus+ers" +herie song Ray Parker Jr. 8. "Purple People ea+er" She 6 Wootey T. "Twitight zone" Na Norman 6. `The Add asv)s F a tvq(y" Vic Mizzy 5. "Werewolves of London" Warren Zevon 4. "Witch Doctor" Atvin 4 +he Chipmunks 3. "Don't Fear +he Reaper" B(ue Oyster Cu(+ 2.. "1 Put A Spett on You" Jay Hawkins 1. "Thri((er" Michael Jackson Page 11
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers