For the last four decades or so a host of ghosts, goblins and gremlins gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. David Jones not to far from the Governor’s Mansion in Helena, Montana. No, it was not a haunting as the spooks were spoken to ahead of time and invited to the party. There will not be a Helena Halloween House this year because Ruth Jones has moved to be with her own grand-gremlins near Portland, Oregon following the death of her husband of 62 years on June 30th.
The idea of a Halloween House came to Ruth Jones when chatting with mothers and their toddlers while waiting in a supermarket check-out line a bit after her three older children got too old for a traditional Halloween party. She just invited them to come over and they came. “It sort of evolved over the years,” she said. Indeed it did! She continued to extend invitations while waiting in line at other shopping venues. Over the years the number of invitees began to grow, and the Jones residence came to be known as “the Halloween House.”
Two years ago 90 children showed up. How did she know? “I gave away that many battery sparkle toys.” Hmm. Wonder if the adults got any?
The house was decorated with lots of lights and featured a lit up ghost in the window. The dining room table had a large ceramic pumpkin with a witch sitting on top. “It was made for me by one of my best friends.”
Ruth has a way for generating enthusiasm for the party. “Last year, from a good friend, I even got a hollowed out pumpkin with flowers and a stuffed black crow.”
Other long time Halloween helpers included her husband. “Dave always got the donuts and apple cider and took a picture of everyone who attended, including the parents. That was so we could tell who the ghosts and goblins belonged to. He had a system whereby he numbered them on a sheet of paper with their signature and address so we could send them a copy of the picture.”
The party went on after the toddlers left, especially in most recent years. “I was even lucky enough to have friends come later in the evening (some dressed in costumes) after bedtime for the Ghosts and Goblins. It was all enjoyable from the babies dressed like pumpkins, to my retired friends, to the high school children that came because they remembered coming when they were little.”
It could be that they also came back, like the six foot teenager last year, for the “treats” but also for the “tricks.”. After a bit of friendly teasing from Mrs. Jones about not having a costume “he showed me on his knee he had cut a hole in his pants and drawn a face. When he was leaving I heard him tell his friend, ‘See, I told you she always gives the big bars.’” He got that right. Mrs. Jones started stocking the 6 to a package candy bars in the freezer at least a month before Halloween.
Mrs. Jones fully disclosed, before selling the house, that it was haunted at least once a year. “I did not want them to be surprised come Halloween,” she said. Will she miss the party? “Of course, and also the excitement getting the house ready for it.”
So why not take the tradition to Oregon? “It has been difficult for me not to invite people I see here with small children. In Helena, I invited them all year. We never knew how many were going to show up or at what time. I am not too sure how people might react to random invitations from a stranger. Maybe after I am here awhile,” she said.
What will she miss most? “I will miss seeing how much they have grown in a year. Who would come that came last year. All the confusion. I just plain like people, especially the children.”
What will Helena miss most this Halloween? If you have a memory of the Jones Halloween House and would like to share it post a comment to this story at www.weatherbeller.blogspot.com.
COMMENT
My journey to Halloween House started in 1981 with an auspicious start that melded into a cherished tradition for more than a decade for my family following a threat and black mail from the one and only Ruth Jones.
In the winter of 1981, Ruth’s son Richie, myself and several unnamed others slipped out of high school, got some refreshments and went to the Jones house knowing Mrs. Jones had not come home sick from work in 24 years. About 3:45 that afternoon the string ended with Ruth walking in unannounced to our gathering. To say the least Rich was in considerable trouble with the rest of us close behind.
Fast forward to the summer of 1998. In the mean time I was married with 2 kids and my mother-in-law and Ruth have known each other for years. I ran into Ruth over the years from time to time. This time she told me all would be forgiven from our high school indiscretion if I would simply bring the kids to her house for Halloween. That year started my kids looking forward to the last stop of the evening the Halloween House. The kids got doughnuts, big candy and a light-up toy of some sort. I got my picture taken and Dave would get me some of the “grown-up cider”. A few weeks later an envelope would appear with our copy of the photo.
This year when we were talking about Halloween and I told the kids that Ruth had moved we spent about half an hour remembering the years of fun. My oldest daughter who is a senior in High School talked at length about the different memories of gifts from Ruth. My youngest boy who is 7 brought out the ghost flashlight he got last year and we used it for tick-or –treating this year.
Don Bartsch Helena MT
COMMENT
My journey to Halloween House started in 1981 with an auspicious start that melded into a cherished tradition for more than a decade for my family following a threat and black mail from the one and only Ruth Jones.
In the winter of 1981, Ruth’s son Richie, myself and several unnamed others slipped out of high school, got some refreshments and went to the Jones house knowing Mrs. Jones had not come home sick from work in 24 years. About 3:45 that afternoon the string ended with Ruth walking in unannounced to our gathering. To say the least Rich was in considerable trouble with the rest of us close behind.
Fast forward to the summer of 1998. In the mean time I was married with 2 kids and my mother-in-law and Ruth have known each other for years. I ran into Ruth over the years from time to time. This time she told me all would be forgiven from our high school indiscretion if I would simply bring the kids to her house for Halloween. That year started my kids looking forward to the last stop of the evening the Halloween House. The kids got doughnuts, big candy and a light-up toy of some sort. I got my picture taken and Dave would get me some of the “grown-up cider”. A few weeks later an envelope would appear with our copy of the photo.
This year when we were talking about Halloween and I told the kids that Ruth had moved we spent about half an hour remembering the years of fun. My oldest daughter who is a senior in High School talked at length about the different memories of gifts from Ruth. My youngest boy who is 7 brought out the ghost flashlight he got last year and we used it for tick-or –treating this year.
Don Bartsch Helena MT
