Who’s Handing Out Rockford’s Most Bizarre Halloween Candy?

I don't want to be one of those bitter, old, "back-in-my-day-everything-was-better-than-it-is-now" kind of guys, but...it seems that there used to be a lot more creativity in Halloween treats than we have today.

When I was a kid, there were many folks along the old trick-or-treat trail in my neighborhood who made their own Halloween treats to hand out to the kids who came knocking. One of our neighbors made divinity fudge that was off-the-charts fantastic. Others handed out home-made caramel and candy apples that were huge and delicious.

On the negative side of the home-made treat argument was one of our elderly neighbors, a kind, thoughtful, and generous widow who shared her home and her life with 6 cats. The kids on my block loved her...364 days out of the year. On Halloween though, the treat that she dropped into each and every one of our goody-bags? Home-made giant popcorn balls.

Why were home-made giant popcorn balls the worst treat of the lot? Well, because she had all those cats (who apparently helped out making the popcorn balls), the popcorn balls looked a bit like "tribbles" from Star Trek because of all the hair sticking to the popcorn.

They looked something like this:

So, keep your eyes open, you parents. I'd really love it if you'd share any photos of strange, odd, or downright bizarre treats that your little ghouls bring home on Halloween. If you're looking for some off-beat ideas that aren't home-made, check this out: