1890 Midwest Hallowed Event

Shoal Creek Living History Museum is bringing back the 1890 Midwest Hallowed Event on Saturday, October 24, from 10 AM to 3 PM. It's a Halloween celebration that looks at how the holiday was spent in the Midwest around 1890, long before trick-or-treating became the thing it is now—that didn't really take hold until the 1920s. Simple costumes did exist back then, though, and the day is built around period games for all ages, kids' crafts, pony rides, spooky storytelling, bonfires and music.

If you're coming with kids, there's a good reason to put some effort into their outfits. The museum encourages period-style dress: clothes worn inside out or deliberately oversized in plain, mostly solid tan, white, blue, brown and black; a ghost made from a white sheet with eyes cut out; or a paper or cloth mask worn with period clothes. Every child in a period outfit gets a small gift.

The museum itself is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-based non-profit located at Robert H. Hodge Park, home to 13 historic buildings dedicated to preserving Missouri's early history and architecture. The event runs from 10 AM to 3 PM on Saturday, October 24, at the museum, inside Robert H. Hodge Park at 7000 NE Barry Rd., Kansas City, Missouri 64156. Admission is $10 for adults and children ages 10 and older, $5 for children ages 3 to 9, and free for children ages 2 and under.