Lots to put down here, history etc.

This was an annual hayride that was primarily organized by Kandy Wilcox in the community of Waddell, Arizona (near the foothills of the Whitetank Mountains, the far west of the Phoenix valley).

I think that the first year was 1985. Kandy had 2 children of her own, and ran a home babysitting service. The area was very rural, and on this night she had an additional babysitting child to tend to -- she wanted to take them trick-or-treating. The nearest residential area of any density was Waddell, AZ, an unincorporated township but one with actual houses and families. The kids loved it.

The second year, Kandy talked her husband into throwing some bales of hay into the back of a pickup to make it a real hayride. Now several kids went along, though it was a bit tough to get them in and out of the truck at each house. But it was still very fun.

The third year they got a small trailer and put a few bales of hay on that. They made it a bit more open invitation, and had a dozen or two kids.

Each year got bigger and bigger.

By the end, 13 years later (1998), the event had built up to a community wide gathering that lasted two days. On the first day, October 30th, everyone would meet in a lot and decorate the trailers. There were 3 or 4 trailers, each donated and hauled by someone in the community. We'd build posters and signs that said "Wilcox-Waddell Halloween Hayride". People would bring snacks and dessert -- there was a contest and a prize for the best food. We had apple bobbing and did some fun Halloween songs.

The second night, October 31st, would be the hayride itself. Before the ride started, there was a costume contest divided into age groups. Prizes were things like movie passes, or special treats, and the funds were donated by local businesses and individuals. At a set time, the kids would load up and the trailers would spread out through the streets, going up and down each row of houses and stopping every other house or so. Kids would pour off of the trailers, run to houses yelling "trick-or-treating!" and showing off their costumes. Then they'd jump back on the trailer and ride down a few more houses.

So why did it end? I don't know for sure, but among other things I think that the community started growing incoherent. Waddell itself grew quite a bit, and the neighborhood where the hayrides took place started to become the small neighborhood on the outskirts of the main developments. The community fractured, and the tradition was lost.

It will, however, be remembered with fondness for an entire generation of children and families.