Bobbing For Apples



Do you remember the fun and excitement of bobbing for apples? I always looked forward to playing this game. We usually played it at birthday parties and Halloween. My sister’s birthday was August the 5^th.This was usually a nice hot day in the summer and we could set the round galvanized tub up on the lawn. Often we would just wear our bathing suits and not worry at all about getting wet or making a mess in the house. The tub was the same one we used to get our regular Saturday night bath in by the warm kitchen stove.

            All the boys and girls along our farm line were invited to the birthday party. Many games of tag and chase were played. We would have a 3 legged race and a sack hop, play a game of ball or anti-anti over the milk house but my favourite game was bobbing for apples. You would fill the tub full to the top with water, then throw in 10 apples of different sizes and kinds. Then two children would kneel on the grass one on each side of the tub, put their hands behind their backs and see who would be the first to get an apple out of the water just using his teeth. You would make a quick dart at the apple but it would dart away from you. Your head might hit the head of the other person as you moved around the tub with your hands behind your back trying to catch an apple. Sometimes you would get this apple by the stem but the stem would break and the apple would fall back into the tub. Sometimes you would put your head completely under the water and pin the apple on the bottom of the tub and bite into it and bring it out of the water.

            The winner was always given a big cheer and of course he would get to eat the apple. This was one of our favourite games at our Halloween parties at our school. Someone would bring the tub from home. It would be filled with water on the school room floor and we would have to be careful not to spill water all over the floor. We would get our shirts pretty wet though.

            Often at school we would tie a string across the classroom, tie a string onto the stem of the apple and the other end of the string tied onto the string across the classroom. You would tie a row of these apples onto the string. The children would stand in a row with their hands behind their backs. The teacher would say go. Then the fun began.

            Memories, such simple and fun games.

December 18 2010