REFLECTIONS

by Katie Butler Johnson

Some consider candy corn a flavorless, waxy, sugar bomb. I’m not one of them. I LOVE CANDY CORN!

When bulk packages of candies - like Skittles, M&Ms or Kit-Kats - start stacking up on grocery shelves in mid-October and Halloween is on the horizon, I grab a few for trick or treaters. But, before hitting the checkout, I’ll often toss a bag of generic candy corn (just for me) into my shopping cart. And, I admit, I rarely leave the parking lot with that bag unopened.

I approach eating each candy corn kernel in the curated way. You know how some eat Oreos by first splitting the cookie in two and scraping off the filling with their top teeth? Well, we true candy corn connoisseurs nibble off the tiny white tip of the kernel; then slowly savor the orange-colored vanilla mellocreme center; and finish by polishing off the tasty yellow cap. It takes just a few kernels to spark my memories of past Halloweens. You could say that candy corn is a fast ticket back to my trick or treating days.

Sometimes, if I’m feeling entitled, I pass up those generic bags of candy corns and order the gourmet one online from Jelly Belly in Fairmont, California. I think they make the yummiest candy corn. They even have a candy factory tour that I took years ago. It was both fun and tasty - but not quite as magical as a trip to a real Willy Wanka’s would have been.

Jelly Belly is best known for its gourmet jelly beans. They kept Ronald Reagan’s Oval Office candy jar filled with their gourmet jelly beans throughout his presidency. Interesting tidbit: Reagan’s favorite flavor - licorice.

During the late 1940’s and early 50’s, trick or treating at Halloween was a big deal for us kids and candy corn was high on the list of treats given. It all started round Dusk on October 31st,

First came the costumed little kids scurrying about with parents close behind. As the darkness took over, the junior high contingents arrived -liberated from parents and full of energy. And lastly, around 9 pm till whenever you turned off the porch light, came the older kids, you know the ones whose appearance said senior high school but whose actions said junior high - the ones on the cusp on aging out of trick or treating but were not quite ready to let all the fun go.

There were no Halloween stores to provide readymade costumes back then. Our imaginations created our costumes. I remember raiding mom’s stuff when I was a gypsy - bright scarfs, earrings, beads and makeup - always tons of mom’s makeup – the only time I was allowed near it. I also recall being Tom Sawyer when I wore my big brother’s worn-out play clothes and stuffed my braided hair into the crown of a scruffy scarecrow-like straw hat and carried a large paint can as both a Tom Sawyer prop and candy container.

We usually wore eye masks, but those covers or actually any of the rest of our costumes never really disguised us from the adults. They always knew exactly who we were, but played along by acting amazed at our final reveal.

Halloween was the only time we were allowed to wander outside after dark by ourselves and solicit treats from our neighbors. Because I was several years younger, I was a tag along with my big brother and his crew. But, having that big bro turned out to be quite an asset when I got to be a teen. It supplied me and my friends with a steady stream of dates with his buddies for school dances. I consider that a major benefit of being a little sis.

Those Halloweens were golden. We roamed like free range chickens testing the limits of our domain. Our parents showed no inkling of concern about poison or razor blades in candy or boogie men hurting or abducting us. We were the lucky ones. For one brief evening, we got to live in a kid’s Camelot.

Well, I’ve never forgotten the fun of pretending. It’s what drew me to the drama club in high school and to a brief run in community theater. And I guess it explains why I enjoyed last year’s Red Hot Divas’ Halloween Party so much. It gave me the chance to slip into an alternate identity. I was Diana - Queen of the night sky. And, no tricks were needed as the party was a treat for us all.

Happy Halloween 2026!!!