West Des Moines, IA

While West Des Moines has now transitioned festivities to October 31, we honor the history that shaped our community's unique holiday spirit. 

The Origin of Beggars' Night

In 1938, the Des Moines Police Department responded to over 550 calls regarding vandalism on Halloween night. Reports included everything from fires to windows smashed with bricks. In response, Kathryn Krieg, the director of recreation for the Des Moines Playground Commission (now Parks and Recreation), stepped in to change the tradition.

Krieg created a campaign for Halloween activities that were less likely to result in mischief. In cooperation with the Community Chest’s group work council, she proposed naming October 30 "Beggars' Night," and encouraged children to perform for homeowners after saying "tricks-for-eats."

"Children should receive a treat only if such a 'trick' as a song, a poem, a stunt, or a musical number is presented."

A Lasting Legacy

The campaign was an immediate success. By 1941, Beggars' Night efforts and a rainy evening resulted in just 22 calls to police—one of the quietest Halloweens on record. By the late 1940s, vandalism calls had dropped to half the volume of the 1930s.

Kathryn Krieg retired in 1974 and passed away in 1999, leaving a legacy of merry—not mischievous—fun that lasted for nearly 90 years.