Halloween is here! That time of year when young (and not so young) trick-or-treaters dress up as ghosts, superheroes, princesses, and cowboys. What will your kids (or you) be this year?

One now-famous little boy had no problem picking his Halloween costume.  Young Billy Blythe (later President William Jefferson Clinton) was obsessed with the cowboy star Hopalong Cassidy. He dressed up in western outfits whenever he could and was particularly proud of his childhood bedspread embroidered with his hero’s name. (Check out his bedroom when you visit President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site.)

Was little Billy attracted to Hopalong Cassidy because he often rescued honest citizens from despicable outlaws? Or was it because the film and TV star shared the same last name as his maternal grandparents, Eldridge and Edith Cassidy?  Whatever the reason, he remained fascinated with his idol for many years.

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While we’re on the subject of Halloween, how about some clever ideas for how to carve your pumpkins? The National Park Service offers a fun selection of downloadable pumpkin carving templates, including a fat bear (shown above), a bat (did you know more than 45 species of bats live in national parks?), a bison butting a park visitor (!), and a coyote howling at the moon.  What will YOUR jack-o-lantern look like?

Spooky Halloween wishes from JNPA!!!