By Erika Kar
Longtime Mazama resident Bo Thrasher recently gave me some great history about the Mazama Halloween tradition. This fun event first began at the Lost River School, which was a Waldorf-inspired preschool that taught children from 2001 — 2008 and was housed where Serena Lockwood now lives. As a little side note, the Lost River School was one of the reasons why our family decided to move here in 2008, when our kids were 5. We eagerly stopped by to see how to enroll, and peering into the windows, we saw that we were too late. Chickens were gone, art supplies packed away, and the ghost of what could have been roamed about (see what I did there?). Back to Halloween.
As far as Bo and Missy LeDuc can recall, the first Mazama Halloween took place the first year that the LeDucs owned the Mazama Store, 10 years ago. The kids began at the school, which is why it commences at Serena’s home now. This makes complete sense instead of other thoughts that it started at Serena’s because she was crazy about piñatas and screaming jacked-up kids.
After the piñata was broken and kids scrambled for the candy, they went along the route that was manned mostly by parents of the students of the school. There were stations for games and scary things staged in the woods and fields along the way. Jerry Laverty and Ann Diamond even had an apple bobbing station. The exhausted kids ended at the Mazama Store for the first pumpkin doughnuts that the store had made.
Bo recalls that one year, while she was waiting at her house for the little goblins to arrive, she heard the group getting the party started at Serena’s home. There was laughter and shouting ringing through the woods that separates their houses and Bo knew that the piñata was being swung at. Then all of a sudden there was silence, leaving her to wonder what happened.
Later she found out, as this was big news in these parts, that a very energetic little boy swung at the piñata and then let the bat fly. The bat then hit a parent who was dressed as a witch. When Bo related this memory to me, I had to sift through my own memories to make sure that I was not the parent of the energetic boy. I wasn’t. But all parents of energetic boys know that it easily could have been any of our kids!
What a fun tradition to have such humble, little beginnings. Gratitude to Bo, Missy, Serena and all the parents and neighbors that began this and keep the tradition alive, not only for the Mazama community, but for others down valley, as well.
Gratitude is also a fitting word in the memory of Walt Foster. Walt passed away on Oct. 15, 2018, having lived a full and open-hearted life. Without Mr. Foster, many of us would not know the Mazama as it exists today. He went before many of us and set the tone for community, generosity and kindness. For that, we are grateful. A public memorial gathering is set for Sunday (Nov. 4) at 11 a.m. at the Winthrop Barn.
