Sep 18, 2024 - News

Caitlin Clark shares Des Moines' Beggars' Night Halloween tradition

You can take Caitlin Clark out of Des Moines, but you can't take Des Moines out of Caitlin Clark.

Driving the news: The Indiana Fever rookie recently shared our city's Beggars' Night tradition as the source of where she gets her jokes.

"I know my mom is a stickler about it. If you don't tell a joke, you don't get any candy," Clark said during a press conference last Sunday.

Flashback: The tradition stems as far back as World War II, according to the Des Moines Public Library.

Back then, the Des Moines' Parks and Rec Department was figuring out a way to dissuade kids from causing mayhem like breaking windows and setting things on fire.
In 1938, the solution — Beggars' Night — was born. Kids wouldn't get candy unless they performed a trick or a riddle.
Plus: It tamed Halloween mischief by spacing out festivities over two days.

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