Yellow text outlined in black over an illustration of a witch in black on a broomstick in front of a yellow moon on an orange background

Halloween originated over 2,000 years ago by the Celtic tribes. However, the Celts called Halloween under another name, Samhain. This festival was celebrated on October 31st when they believed the world of the living and the world of the dead blurred on this night. In 609 A.D., Christianity, in an attempt to bridge the cultures, took Samhain and merged the timing with the Christian holiday, All Souls’ Day or All Hallows Day. Christians who celebrated All Souls’ Day still did many of the same activities that were once popular during Samhain. In 19th century America, the modern-day Halloween or Hallows Eve began to evolve. It was popularized by an influx of Irish immigrants because of the Irish Potato Famine. This new version of the holiday evolved from being about the living, the dead, and witches to being about community, candy, and trick-or-treating.

The history of witches dates back into the mid-1400s in Europe when witches were tried, confessed, and killed for their crimes. Most of Europe thought that witches were affiliated with the Devil and evil. Modern-day renditions of witches, such as the classic persona of an old woman with a crooked nose and tall, black hat is a newer addition to the myth.

Black text above and below an illustration of a bird on a branch with white flowers on a blue sky background

Abingdon is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Washington County, Virginia. Abingdon, the county seat, is well known for its historic charm and to some amazing outdoor activities including bird watching. Its location along the Appalachian Trail is perfect for waterfowl and songbird sightings. Washington County Park has the next highest number of bird species at 111.

Black and white illustration of a person with a beard wearing a big brimmed hat, suspenders and black boots over black text on a red background

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Illustration of a red ball with yellow and white text. The background of this button replicates the pattern of a typical orange dodgeball.

Dodgeball, starring Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, was released on DVD on December 7, 2004. The sports comedy focused on a group of competitive adult dodgeball players who were competing to save their local gym from being taken over by a fitness corporation. 

Black text around the outer edge with an illustration of a yellow chicken holding a beer mug on a white background

The Chicken Creek Cafe and Saloon is located in Chicken, Alaska. It is part of the Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost. This small town was part of the gold rush. Tourists can see the gold dredge and mining museum or participate in panning for gold among other activities. 

Red and white illustration of two hands on a rope with red text above and below on a yellow background

The Cheese City Tug-of-War Tournament was the first of an annual tug-of-war competition held at the Green County Fairgrounds in Monroe, Wisconsin. This was a separate, stand alone event not part of the Green County Fair or Cheese Days, both of which have held tug-of-war competitions. The first Cheese City tug was held on August 10, 1980. The tug continued annually into the early 1980s before an abrupt end. 

The city of Monroe, Wisconsin, is known as the “Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA” due to the city’s strong Swiss heritage and award winning cheesemaking. The city embraces its cheese notoriety with a Cheese Days Festival and a 47 mile recreational path named Cheese Country Trail.

Black text outlined in white on a yellow and pink background with an illustration of Pioneer 10

In 1972, NASA’s Glenn Research Center launched the space probe called Pioneer 10 from Cape Kennedy, now known as the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The purpose of the mission was to obtain close-up images of Jupiter. In June of 1983, Pioneer 10 became the first man-made object to pass the outer limits of the solar system, traveling past all known planets into interstellar space. The mission officially came to a close in 1997, although the probe was still able to transmit data after this time. It’s final signal was transmitted on June 23, 2003, from nearly 7.6 million miles away.

White text over an illustration of a skateboard with a carrot going through it

The Vegan Skate Blog was created in 2011 by Bay Area skateboarder Kerry Weber. A long-time vegan, Weber first started his blog to help other skaters find durable, high-quality skate shoes that were not made from animal-based products. Featuring profiles of vegan skaters (called “Vegetable Shredders”), product reviews, recipes, art, and information about community projects and events, Weber’s blog is focused on the intersection of skateboarding and veganism.  ​

Illustration of Snoopy dancing with black text on a light green background

Snoopy's dancing has been a part of his character since 1952 - two years after the comic Peanuts first appeared in papers. Lucy famously complained in June of 1969, "I feel like I'm feeding Fred Astaire!" Peanuts ran in daily newspapers from 1950 until 2000, after which it continued in reruns. In total, creator Charles Schulz published 17,897 strips which have been adapted into a number of television specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. This strip was first published in Peanuts on March 16, 1963 and was printed on merchandise in 1968.

Illustration of Snoopy dancing with black text on a dark green background

Snoopy's dancing has been a part of his character since 1952 - two years after the comic first appeared in papers. Lucy famously complained in June of 1969, "I feel like I'm feeding Fred Astaire!" Peanuts ran in daily newspapers from 1950 until 2000, after which it continued in reruns. In total, creator Charles Schulz published 17,897 strips which have been adapted into several television specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, and It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. This strip was first published in Peanuts on March 16, 1963 and was printed on merchandise in 1968.