Michigan State University’s (MSU) and University of Michigan’s (U-M) rivals weekend was Oct. 28-30, and MSU should fly high in all competitions. The teams played each other on Oct. 28 (men’s and women’s cross country), Oct. 29 (men’s football), and Oct. 30 (women’s rowing & women’s volleyball) with all matchups taking place in Ann Arbor. Certainly a lucrative spread for Ann Arbor’s hospitality and tourism industry and not a single hometown advantage for Michigan State, but never fear! This gives East Lansing parents and snacking college students more time to buy candy and costumes before the big rush on October 31!
The first items you need to buy are green & white candies!
1. ANDES Mints
Owned by Tootsie Roll Industries, these green-and-silver wrappers are filled with pieces of chocolate sandwiching a layer of green-colored mint chocolate and are incredible. No one will think for a second that you aren’t trying to invoke the Spartan spirit with these yummies.
And while I can’t think of anything else other than green apple-flavored items, matcha-flavored items, and mint-flavored items, I’m sure you can find even better green treats for your Halloween party. And if all else fails, just make Granny Smith caramel apples and douse them with white chocolate.
Buying a costume based on a mascot?
MSU beats U-M hands down. I admit Sparty in his foam form is not the most flattering, but it beats being a big yellow letter. If you’re wondering, U-M’s Wolverine doesn’t work against schools in Michigan because the whole state is “wolverine country.” Plus, MSU’s yearbooks used to be The Wolverine before they switched to The Red Cedar Log.
Spartan women were the most advantageous women of the Greek islands during the times of Ancient Greece. Unlike almost all others of the 600+ states of Greece, Spartan women could roam and visit as dignitaries to outside areas. It was the Spartan women who controlled the land of Sparta, and while the state of Sparta did slowly implode as male family members wanted to keep their sisters from being outside-of-family-members’ wives, their legend spread among the Greeks as a strange area where women walked outside just like men and boys.
I do think dressing up like a big cheese and carving the cheese into an M would be hilarious. If you do that, fine, I’ll admit U-M wins. Whatever, but only because I want to pour tomato soup on you and squeeze you between two pieces of bread.
Sources:
- https://tootsie.com
- “Spartan Women” by Sarah B. Pomeroy
- “Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History” by Jennifer Roberts, Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan, and Sarah B. Pomeroy