Beggars' Night to be held on Halloween day in Des Moines, Iowa, for first time since 1938

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Kids around Des Moines, Iowa, will go trick-or-treating on Halloween day for the first time since 1938, but only due to forecasted rain and storms ruining their traditional "Beggars' Night."

Children in Des Moines would begin knocking on doors Wednesday night for candy and goodies if it were not for a forecasted 100% chance of rain by the evening, according to the National Weather Service. Strong to severe thunderstorms are also possible Wednesday afternoon and evening, with the highest threat being in areas in southern Iowa, the NWS forecast said.

Des Moines is expected to have a "marginal risk" for severe weather Wednesday, including damaging winds and the possibility of a tornado, according to the NWS.

The city, which is the capital of Iowa, announced the decision to move Beggars' Night to Thursday from 6-8 p.m. "to provide a safe and festive trick-or-treating experience for Des Moines children and families," a news release sent Tuesday morning said.

What is Beggars' Night?

Beggars' Night began in Des Moines about 80 years ago to curb violence and vandalism that had become an annual issue on Halloween night in the city and its suburbs.

In addition to trick-or-treating a day earlier, as a part of Beggars' Night, children have to tell a joke to receive candy. Kathryn Krieg, who served as former director of recreation for the Des Moines Playground Commission (later the Parks and Recreation Department) for 43 years, is credited for being the creator of Beggars' Night.

When Kreig began her role with the commission in 1931, youths were being arrested on Halloween for soaping windows, sidelining streetcars, setting fires and throwing bricks through windows. She and the commission knew things had to change when in 1938 the Des Moines police answered a record 550 calls concerning vandalism on Halloween.

Kreig and the commission decided to begin Beggars' Night on Oct. 30. To get the community involved they told the public that it was a one-night thing and that children would be allowed to go from door to door and say the phrase "trick for eats." The council told people that children would only receive candy if their phrase involved a song, a poem, a stunt or a musical number.

While many in the area followed the tradition, Bondurant and Windsor Heights, cities part of the Des Moines metropolitan area, recently broke from it by hosting trick-or-treating on the Saturday before Halloween instead.

Des Moines not the only Iowa city changing Beggars' Night

Des Moines is not the only city in Iowa changing its trick-or-treating plans as Pleasent Hill, a city in the Des Moines metropolitan area, announced its Beggars' Night would take place on Thursday as well.

"Pleasant Hill received an official notice from Polk County Emergency Management Agency, Iowa at approximately 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 of potential severe weather," a Facebook post shared Tuesday evening said. "This formal notice provides the City of Pleasant Hill the ability to issue an Emergency Proclamation to change the date for this year's Beggars Night in the best interest of the community."

The city initially did not plan on switching the date because it was set by its city council and there was not enough time to hold a special meeting to change it.

Other cities following Des Moines and Pleasant Hill in moving Beggars' Night to Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. due to weather forecasts in the metro area include:

• Ankeny
• Altoona
• Clive
• Indianola
• Johnston
• Norwalk
• Urbandale
• Waukee
• West Des Moines

Contributing: Mary Challender/ The Des Moines Register