The small village of Berrien Springs has always wanted to be known for something. For most of the 19th Century, we were known as the county seat of Berrien. Our central location in the county made the distance for travel equally burdensome to all local politicians coming to our 1839 Courthouse. Our lack of railroad doomed our future as county seat and in 1894, Berrien Springs lost the vote and the seat to St. Joe in a bitter contest that we’re still sore about. In the early 20th Century, we became a home away from home to some Chicago gangsters, most notably Louis Campagna, Al Capone’s bodyguard. In recent times, our quaint village has been known as the home of boxing champ Muhammad Ali, who bought the gangster estate, but he died in 2016 and his estate has sold to non-famous and non-gangster folk out of Chicago.
We have had mixed results gaining fame for our Picklefest, which started out as a Christmas celebration, disappeared altogether, only to be resurrected recently as a Fourth of July festival. Whether or not our pickles bring us the fame we’re hungry for, and for how long, remains to be seen. But nearly a hundred years ago, Berrien Springs was known for something other than politics, pickles, or gangsters. We were known for our extravagant Halloween festival, featuring a parade led by a Snollygoster band, costume and window decorating contests, street dances, square dances, and oodles of fun and fright for children and adult alike. Berrien Springs was, as the News Palladium called us in 1916, “Hallowe’en Town.”
Whose idea it was to start having the Halloween party is unknown, but the News Palladium reported in 1911 that Berrien Springs businesses were planning for a blowout Halloween celebration, where “goblins of every description will be staring you in the face, at every turn.” Sounds like an ordinary night in Berrien to me, but with prizes. The Berrien Springs Era also advertised its “Era Day” that ran just a few days earlier than the Halloween celebration that year. Era Day featured a horse show, a baby show, and a poultry show. It was a one time celebration meant to pay tribute to the new ownership of the local paper. In 1911 our Halloween event awarded its first ever best lady costume prize to Anna Slater who was dressed as a witch, and second prize to Maude Stemm, dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. Most hideous was won by Maude Smith. For the gentlemen, W. F. Stemm won first as an old fashioned dude while Duane Eidson won second as “a little Jap.” Most hideous was awarded to Ed Allen.
The night was such a success that they had another the following year, and also the next year until soon our Halloween gala became an annual tradition.
In 1912, $17 worth of prize money was doled out and Alvin Willis, Berrien Springs musician, led the parade. In 1913 the masked carnival celebration was postponed until November 6 due to evangelical meetings happening the week of Halloween. Earlier in the day there were also horse races.
In 1915, Berrien Springs celebrated its 5th Annual Halloween festival. The newspapers of the time described crowds coming from car and interurban from all parts of the county, as many as 5,000 in attendance. The business street was roped off for the parade while a band was set up at the corner of Ferry and Main, where there was also the judge’s stand. Streets were illuminated with red lights. And a wigwam of trees and leaves with a brewing kettle was constructed. Hot dogs and sandwiches were served. A donkey pulled a circus wagon in the parade and scores of personas were represented parading down our streets: Happy Hooligan, clowns, newsboys, fairies, nuns, policemen, firemen, farmers, sailors, witches, a bride and groom, Little Red Riding Hood, Father Time, Red Cross nurses, and even “darkies,” a costume which thankfully faded away in popularity as folks realized how demeaning it was. Judges for the costumes were C.M. Niles of Benton Harbor, Lewis Peak of Niles, and E.F. Garland of Berrien Springs.
The judges passed out the following prizes for costumes that year: Best Lady’s Costume: Mrs. Chas Euson, dressed in Japanese attire, who won a sun parasol from the Hendleman Store. Best gentleman’s costume winner was Wilbur Southwork of Niles and he won a box of cigars from Johnson Cigar Company. Miss Ella Reed of Benton Harbor won second place for the ladies division. For her efforts she won a dish pan from the Graham Store. Oliver Camp of Niles won second for the men, and he won a box of cigars from Stemm’s Grocery. Not surprisingly Berrien Springs locals rounded up the Most Hideous costume prizes. Mrs. John Aldrich won one month’s pass to the Star Theatre. Alvira Bedinger won a haircut, shoe shine, shampoo, massage, and tonic from the Morgan and Mars Barbershop. Beulah McOmber won second place and a dozen photos from local photographer C.F. Baldwin. Thomas Nolan of Niles won second for the hideous men, the prize being a safety razor from Bernard’s Drug Store. Miss Rena Butke of Berrien Springs won the best girls costume under 15 years old, and she took home a friendship link and strap from the B.F. Dilley jewelry store. The prize for the largest pumpkin displayed was won by Mr. Terrell of this village, who was dressed as a large pumpkin. He won a bottle of toilet water from Kephart’s Drug Store, so I bet all of his friends were insanely jealous.
Speaking of Kephart’s Drug Store, they also had a live mannequin on display in their window in the form of Phillip Rush, two-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Phil Kephart, dressed with an orange and yellow frock with sleeves covered in black cats and owls. On his head was a cap with a tassel. All night, he hugged a Halloween doll with one hand while he waved to the spectators with the other.
Clearly a lot of effort went into the planning of the Halloween Bash. By 1916, one man took the helm, and he was Harry Bernard, local druggist whose store was located in the building he built on the northeast corner of Ferry and Main. He came to Benton Harbor from Chicago as a boy and he also ran drug stores in Niles. Harry’s family was in the entertainment business. When he died in 1956, his son wrote up a sketch of their family, which included a rudimentary traveling circus, and a stage show of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the first of which was shown south of the Mason Dixon line. Harry’s father was tarred and feathered in Kentucky for the show, and ran out of town. Harry also had two very talented sisters, one a singer and the other a nationally known banjo player. Clearly, entertaining was in the family’s blood. So planning the Halloween parade and dance was right up Harry’s alley. It was also right next to his drug store, which probably was a boon for his business. He was assisted by Chas E. Hoopingarner and A.E. Feather. Over 5,000 people attended the event that year, and the parade was over three blocks long, led by three masked bands. The bands were the Kawneer Band of Niles, the Arden Band, and the Willis Band of Berrien Springs. Someone dressed up as the Kaiser of Germany, and was pulled in a Royal Coach.
In 1916, they celebrated under lights which were strung up across the main street. The News Palladium, on October 18, described it as a night in which, “one night in a year when a person can win a prize, a cash prize, which is some inducement in these times of high prices, for his ugliness.” The monster parade started at 9 PM and afterwards Alvin Willis led his band in performing for a large dance at the Town Hall.
In 1917, the Halloween party was canceled because our streets were torn up and being paved. In 1918, the party was postponed because of the Spanish Flu pandemic. It was rescheduled to November 11, which was also the day that we declared World War I over.
That year, the proceeds of the event went to the Red Cross. So successful was the event that they expanded it to include an auto parade at 3:00, in which everyone with a “machine” was invited to join. The night time parade was led by the Snollygosters, and after the parade the town had a street dance on the new brick pavement. Music was provided by Will’s Orchestra, a band from Niles. The Kaiser was burned in effigy at a bonfire to close out the celebration.
In 1919, the Halloween affair began at noon when the Elks band arrived from Niles, and it was planned to end late that night when “everyone was tired of dancing at the town hall.” Special interurban cars ran at 11:00 and later, returning guests back to South Bend, Niles, and St. Joe. A band of nine masked musicians traveled the county earlier in the week to advertise for the event, making stops in Baroda, Stevensville, Benton Harbor, St. Joe, Eau Claire, Niles, and Buchanan. Four thousand people showed up in Berrien to celebrate. Contests included a pie eating contest, catching a greased pig, and nail driving. Estella Stover won the nail driving contest after she drove ten 20 penny nails into a piece of wood. Some said she drew the softest wood but they were probably just jealous after losing to a girl. The fat man’s contest was scrapped after C.M. Niles of Benton Harbor got cold feet. The 1919 event also featured the American Legion boys capturing a “German soldier” with their realistic tank advance. The best dressed couple that year went to Mr. and Mrs. George Merz. George was dressed as a baby doll and his lovely wife was dressed in drag as a man in an evening suit.
In 1920, the American Legion Post 85 was in charge of the event. The parade kicked off at 8:15, followed by a masked dance in the Town Hall, which commenced at midnight. The Era reported that no one over 93 was allowed on the dance floor. Attractions that year included the “female singer” Tosci, later revealed to be William Schultz.
The Legion kept sponsoring the event through the 1920s. In 1921, Legionnaires Allison King, George Murphy, and James King were in charge. The parade had 400 people and nearly 5,000 showed up. The best group was judged to be a local group dressed as Negro minstrels. In ‘22, that same group won again, dressed this time as the Stars and Stripes, Uncle Sam, and the Goddess of Liberty. In 1923, Dick Dougan won the most hideous prize for his portrayal as a fat man. Maude Ewalt covered herself in red and yellow kernels of corn, and she won best dressed for the effort. The Halloween party was not without controversy that year after some E.M.C. students left the festivities and drove onto the college campus where they picked up three other boys who had rang the fire bell as a prank. The three other students jumped in Forest Crandell’s car, and night watchman Willis Trickett shot into the windshield when Crandell refused to stop. Forest was shot between the eyes, but survived the shooting and ended up dropping the charges against the night watchman.
In 1925, John J. Stover and Son won $5 for their window decoration which consisted of a log cabin, cow pasture, and poultry farm all created from different cuts of meat. The Manes Restaurant won the window contest the next year with a display of pumpkin pie, layered cakes, and coffee.
In 1927, the annual goblin festival saw 7,000 attendees flock to the streets of our humble village, and 200 in the parade. Buchanan’s band made an appearance, as well as Kelly’s Klowns out of St. Joe. The Berrien Springs American Legion won for best group. They depicted Uncle Sam, Miss America, two Army boys, two Marines, two Navy boys, two Red Cross nurses, and two Salvation Army workers. In 1927, the proceeds of the Halloween event went to the American Legion Building Fund, helping the local veterans build their Memorial Home at 112 N. Bluff Street. In 1928, the festival was held under the light of a full moon, as well as under the new electric lights in town. Maude Ewalt, wife of Charles, won the $5 prize for best costume, her 6th time winning the award. She was covered in autumn leaves as a dress, trimmed with straw. In 1929, Mrs. Herman Radtke recycled one of Maude’s earlier ideas to win best dressed. She wore a dress made out of yellow corn kernels with a matching umbrella.
In 1930, the Legion was still in charge. Berrien Plumbing and Electric Company won $5 for their window decoration that included two live owls. Lyle Lounsberry’s restaurant window display included a family of white rabbits. By 1932, prize money for the event totaled $25. Charles Reinbold and his Orchestra from South Bend entertained the crowd at the Town Hall dance after the parade. The orchestra was back the following year and a new addition to the Goblin Parade was a 40 piece drum and bugle corps from the South Bend American Legion. By 1935, the Chamber of Commerce was partnering with the Legion to sponsor the event, and a peanut scramble was added to the festivities after the parade. Joe Whetstone directed the high school band at the start of the parade. It rained in 1936 for the 25th annual celebration. The Chamber of Commerce was the sole sponsor, and Chic Bell of the House of David was one of the judges.
From 1937 until 1941, the Halloween festival was given up.
But in 1942, the Halloween festivities were revived, and sponsored by the Lions Club. Throughout the 40’s, the event ended with the dance at the Grove park. In 1944, the All Girls Orchestra from the House of David entertained at the Grove. In 1945, the prize money totaled $55. In 1948, the Snollygoster band could not be assembled in time, but the Berrien Springs High School band filled in. That year the best dressed group was won by the American Legion Post 85 Auxiliary. In 1950, the festivities included a greased pig contest and pets were allowed in the costume contest. But as more and more nearby towns planned their own Halloween events, attendance for our party died down. By 1958, the total prize money was only $18, down from $75 just a few years before.
In 1961, the Berrien Springs Village Council voted to allow trick or treating only one night, after complaints were made that out of town children and young adults were making their way around our town. I can’t imagine why out of towners might be hoarding all the Halloween candy, other than that they’d been literally invited to town for the last fifty years. But as all good things must come to an end, the Halloween parades suffered the same fate as all good things. The parades continued, but were a different night than trick or treating, and no longer did the night end with festive dancing at the Town Hall or Grove park. Halloween continued like this in Berrien Springs for a few years and by the mid 60’s, even a mention of the costume parade is nowhere in the twin city papers, and hardly a mention at all in our local Journal Era. It seems Halloween became more of a children’s event, and focus was on trick or treating instead of the parade, so that even the parade eventually disappeared.
Long gone are the days when the business district of Berrien Springs was full of goblins and ghosts on the late October evenings of fall. Long gone are the days of cash prizes for the most hideous costume and parades led by Snollygosters and a costumed Maude Ewalt looking for her seventh prize for best dressed. There are no more open air concerts or dances at the Town Hall. No square dancing at the Grove.
But the ghost of them all still walks the streets of Berrien Springs, a village longing to be known for something, a village long ago known as Hallowe’en Town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Want more of this story? Can’t get enough of Berrien County history? Join my Berrien History patreon for even more of a deeper dive into my research:
patreon.com/berrienjen
Berrien History 
Loved reading this.
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
LikeLike