Above / All decked out for her second Halloween (with a little support from her dog, Maki), 22-month-old Mariko must have inherited her father’s gene for dressing up to portray historic figures. (Costumes created by Jeff Penick / Photo by Katherine Penick)
Recognizing a little French History for Halloween / The Coup of 18 Brumaire
In November 1799, during an event known as the Coup of 18 Brumaire, Napoleon Bonaparte was part of a group that successfully overthrew the French Directory. The Directory had been a five-member committee that governed France for four years from Nov. 2, 1795, until Nov. 9, 1799.
The Directory was replaced with a three-member Consulate, and 5-ft. 7-in. Napoleon became first consul, making him France’s leading political figure. Napoleon later crowned himself emperor in 1804.
Fast forward to the 1990s at May Watts Elementary School
Back in the mid-1990s, Jeff Penick picked Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) as the famous personality for his 5th-grade biography project when he attended May Watts Elementary School. To give his presentation his best shot, he asked his mom to help him create a costume to portray the French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century.
During his research, one of Jeff’s sources credited Napoleon for inspiring bakers to create the baguette for the French general’s armies. During Napoleon war days, bread loaves were round. A longer, thinner version would be easier to transport in a soldier’s special pockets, Jeff remembered. And if the baguettes were right out of the oven, the toasty bread sticks might even help keep the soldiers warm.
To this day, (and thanks to his 5th-grade teacher) being introduced in 5th grade to one of several theories of how the baguette was invented ranks among Jeff’s favorite elementary school memories!
Of course, those days were before digital photos. For the life of me, I can’t put my hands on the print of Jeff in his Napoleon costume. But the image of his character is forever emblazoned in my mind, as are his portrayals of Ross Perot and Queen Elizabeth from past Halloweens.
Jeff appears to be passing on his creative passion to dress up like notables from the history books to his daughter.
How the French baguette became a Halloween costume accessory
For his 22-month-old daughter’s second Halloween, Jeff recreated a pint-size Napoleon costume for a Halloween party on Oct. 26.
Just in time for PN’s November deadline, Jeff sent Katherine’s photos via email with “Our Tiny Tyrant” in the subject line. Once opened, images of “little Napoleon” with her freshly-baked baguette and her best pal, Maki, all decked out for Trick or Treat were most enjoyable.
And watching history repeat itself was the most memorable moment of all.
Now you know.
—Stephanie Penick, Proud to be a Grandma
Editor’s Note / Halloween is October 31 and this year it falls on Thursday. Note that the City of Naperville does not have an ordinance designating official Trick-or-Treat hours for children. However, most parents adhere to popular Trick-or-Treat hours from 4PM to 8PM. If a resident’s porch light is off, that means Trick-or-Treat hours are over at that house.
The City of Naperville reminds residents to use extreme caution when driving a vehicle during Trick-or-Treat hours on Halloween evening.
Also, the City of Naperville does have rules regarding drinking and drugging while driving. Buckle up, too! Always celebrate safely.
