Congress has already cemented Anoka's title as the "Halloween Capital of the World." This year, when the U.S. Postal Service issues its first Halloween-themed postage stamps, the initial batch of spooky stamps will be postmarked Anoka.
Anoka has been selected as the host city for the "First Day of Issue" celebration for the jack-o'-lantern stamps. The set of four stamps rolls out Sept. 29 — in time for the annual Halloween celebration the city has hosted for nearly a century.
After learning jack-o'-lantern stamps would be issued this year, Anoka civic and nonprofit leaders lobbied the Postal Service for the honor with a letter-writing campaign, of course.
"We sort of buried the U.S. post office in documentation. There are three congressional proclamations," said Bart Ward, longtime Anoka Halloween volunteer and former president of the nonprofit organizing group.
A small entourage from the Postal Service in Washington visited Anoka this winter and gave city leaders the good news.
Anoka Halloween volunteers and city leaders are planning festivities for the stamp celebration including speakers, music and activities.
There are tentative plans for an official pumpkin lighting ceremony that evening, Ward said. "This is a big deal for the city of Anoka. This really puts us on stage and puts a spotlight on the city," he said.
The stamps feature photographs of four carved pumpkins. The U.S. Postal Service issues about 30 stamps each year, but not all get this kind of "pomp and circumstance," post office spokesman Peter Nowacki said.
