ANOKA, Minn. — Being early to Halloween is a point of pride for Anoka, nicknamed “Halloween Capital of the World.”
“We were the first city in the United States to have a Halloween party,” Roxy Orcutt, a Halloween historian said. “In 1920, we had the official Congressional declaration.”
So when "summerween" - a trend of celebrating Halloween traditions during summer - took hold of social media, Anoka residents were already on board.
“We're always in the Halloween mode,” Orcutt said. “We have great parades, we have great celebrations and we can't wait to start. So I think that's why we start so early.”
Anoka resident, Sarah Jarvis, is on the same page. She started decorating her front yard for Halloween the first day her kids went back to school.
The three giant skeleton statues are both the start to a bigger display and a shot across the bow in a yearly decorating competition with her neighbor.
“Once you start the first move, then I guarantee he will start doing it and we kind of go back and forth,” Jarvis said.
In fact, her community’s willingness to start Halloween celebrations early is part of why Jarvis moved to Anoka.
“When we were looking for houses and stuff like that, we were looking for a place with big yard that we can kind of decorate,” Jarvis, who sports several Halloween tattoos, said. “I couldn't find anything more perfect for myself to be my spooky self all year-round.”
“We like to show people that we're super welcoming and we want everyone to come celebrate Halloween with us,” Orcutt said.
As for the bigger summerween trend, Orcutt suspected the growing demand for early Halloween decorations is, in part, a reaction to how retailers market their seasonal products.
“Well, I sort of think it's like a response to the encroachment of Christmas,” Orcutt said. “You know, you'll see Christmas come out in October and we're like, this is our time. Get out of here, Santa Claus!”