The Science of Collecting Halloween Candy

by Katie Bowell, Curator of Cultural Interpretation

Have you ever wondered what type of receptacle will optimize your candy collecting potential this Halloween? The website My Science Project conducted an experiment to find out, taking into account container AND candy size and shape to determine the ideal distribution of goodies. Visit the website to find out if a small bucket, large bucket, paper bag, or pillowcase will be your best bet tomorrow.

From the Archive: Halloween greetings!

by Lesley Drayton, Curator, Local History Archive

As you don your costumes this Halloween and gear up for trick or treating, apple bobbing, and consuming copious amounts of candy, take some inspiration of good cheer from these images of a Halloween party held in Fort Collins around the 1910s. We don’t know who is in these pictures, but it certain seems like they were having a terrifyingly good time!

The folks at the Preston Farm, located along County Road 9, certainly knew how to decorate for the season. Seven jack-o-lanterns haunt the fence in this photograph taken circa 1900.

Finally, check out this eerie postcard sent to Flossie Jones of Greeley, Colorado in 1913 by her soon-to-be husband. The clock strikes midnight, a mirror and candle float in the air, and the young lady brews a potion revealing the image of, perhaps, her future beau? “What’s meant for thee, Thee’ll have” are the ominous words drifting above the cauldron….spooky!

Terror Tours! History haunts Fort Collins

by Toby Swaford, K-12 Education Coordinator

Take a journey to the dark side of local legend and lore. What tales of terror, betrayal, and murder fill the streets of Old Town, and what mysteries lay beneath? Where was the town’s first cemetery? More intriguingly, what happened to its former occupants, and what building stands there today? Find the answers to these questions, and more, on the 9^th Annual Terror Tours. You’ll never look at local history the same way again.

Here are the particulars:

Terror Tours depart from the Fort Collins Museum & Discovery Science Center (200 Mathews St., Fort Collins) beginning at 7:30 pm on Friday, October 23 and Friday, October 30. Tours leave every 30 minutes and the last tour leaves at 10 PM. Tickets cost $3 per person. Buy your tickets ahead of time at the Museum — they’re going fast! Tickets are good only for the date and tour time listed on them. Tours are limited to 20 individuals, and are available on a first come, first served basis. No refunds available. For more information contact the Museum at 221-6738.

Dress in costume and join us for a hauntingly good time! Recommended for ages 16 and up due to content.