ANOKA, Minn. - There's a sense - or should we say spirit - of pride when you walk around Anoka this time of year.
“We were declared the Halloween Capital of the World”, so now we had to keep going and continue on that journey,” explained Ron Nordin, president of Anoka Halloween.
The journey started with some pranksters back in 1920.
"All the time [they're] releasing cows into the street, tipping over outhouses and soaping windows and doing all sorts of pranks that irritated the public," Nordin said.
That's when businesses banded together to give the public some treats to stop all the tricks.
The city started creating events that eventually caught the attention of Congress in 1937 and led to an official declaration.
Since then, the celebrations keep getting bigger and better.
"We have over 30 events through the month of October," said Deb Colstrom, vice president of Anoka Halloween. "We have so many activities, from scavenger hunts to pumpkin carving, coloring contests. All family-friendly events."
Those events have been enjoyed by generation after generation for 98 years.
“I marched in the parade in the 50s," said Nordin. "Fast forward again, my children marched through in the 80s, fast forward again, my grandchildren traveled from the Middle East last year and rode in the parade and participated and they thought it was crazy cool.”
To see the full schedule of events for Anoka Halloween 2018, click here.