Fun Halloween Facts: Trick or Treat and Pumpkin Pies

Wow your co-workers and friends with these spooky day tidbits. Happy Halloween from Minnetonka Patch!

Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts and vampires, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Over the years, Halloween customs have changed dramatically. Today, Halloween is celebrated in many different ways in Minnetonka, including wearing costumes, trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, and going to haunted houses and parties. 41 million The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2011 — children age 5 to 14 — across the United States. Of course, many other children — older than 14 and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. 115 million Number of occupied housing units across the nation in 2011 — all potential …

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Parents Talk

Parents Talk: Ban Candy on Valentine's Day?

Some schools are keeping sweets out of the classroom.

What's Valentine's Day without candy? Some kids are finding out, as schools extend bans on classroom sweets to holiday celebrations out of concern for students' health. A Massachusetts school's decision to keep candy out has drawn national and international attention and criticism, as well as praise. Parents in Minneapolis, where a policy to promote better student health started last year, see messages like: "Students can bring valentines, but as you are shopping for valentines, please DO NOT purchase valentines with candy or send candy to school for the party." Our 11-year-old broke the news to me a few days ago: The general ban on sugary snacks at her school applies to Valentine's Day. "It's ridiculous," she said. "Fruit snacks are about…

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Penna1965

11:50 am on Monday, February 27, 2012

Margaret, high fructose corn syrup is just as bad as beet sugar or cane sugar. Sugar is sugar no matter the source. Limiting the sugar in everything is key. Moderation, exercise and diet.   more ›