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District schools help unveil US stamp recognizing Anoka as ‘Halloween capital of the world’
It’s a pretty big deal when the US Postal Service (USPS) unveils a new stamp, and an even bigger deal when it’s a holiday-themed one. Sure, it sounds corny, but communities around America fight for the honor of being the city that hosts a stamp unveiling party.
After a large-scale campaign by Anoka’s civic leaders, schools and community, the Halloween Capital of the World was indeed chosen to host the first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the 2016 jack-o’-lantern Forever stamps. And Anoka-Hennepin students were front and center during the event, which was attended by local, state and national officials, as well as an overflowing number of proud Anoka residents. The stamps, featuring photographs of four different hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns, are the first issued by the postal service to have a Halloween theme.
During the ceremony held at Anoka City Hall on Sept. 29, a parade of students from Franklin and Lincoln elementary schools in Anoka who were dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes strutted across the stage to kick off the event, and an Anoka High School (AHS) ensemble of band and orchestra students provided the music, and a quartet of AHS choir students sang the National Anthem.
According to Anoka Halloween, the community’s official celebration organization, Anoka is believed to be the first city in the United States to put on a Halloween celebration to divert its youth from Halloween pranks. The first community celebration was held in 1920.
So last year, when the USPS announced it had created a series of Halloween-themed Forever stamps and would choose a city for its unveiling — well that was something Anoka’s leaders knew the city needed to be a part of. Anoka is the Halloween Capital of the World, afterall — a congressionally proclaimed designation the city is immensely proud of.
After a large-scale campaign by Anoka’s civic leaders, schools and community, the Halloween Capital of the World was indeed chosen to host the first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the 2016 jack-o’-lantern Forever stamps. And Anoka-Hennepin students were front and center during the event, which was attended by local, state and national officials, as well as an overflowing number of proud Anoka residents. The stamps, featuring photographs of four different hand-carved jack-o’-lanterns, are the first issued by the postal service to have a Halloween theme.
During the ceremony held at Anoka City Hall on Sept. 29, a parade of students from Franklin and Lincoln elementary schools in Anoka who were dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes strutted across the stage to kick off the event, and an Anoka High School (AHS) ensemble of band and orchestra students provided the music, and a quartet of AHS choir students sang the National Anthem.
According to Anoka Halloween, the community’s official celebration organization, Anoka is believed to be the first city in the United States to put on a Halloween celebration to divert its youth from Halloween pranks. The first community celebration was held in 1920.
Check out photos of the day’s event, and be sure to check out media coverage from the celebration from local and regional media (we'll update as stories become available):
- Star Tribune: "Anoka worked hard to secure Halloween stamp unveiling."
- WCCO-TV: "Anoka Hosts National Halloween Stamp Event."