Halloween ranks way up there as a favourite holiday from the days of making paper chains, bobbing for apples, going trick-or-treating, participating at our high school Spook Trail, carving pumpkins or joining the crowd at George Street’s Mardi Gras.
These past three years I’ve taken a liking to staying in rural Newfoundland & Labrador and celebrating Halloween at the local Lion’s Club. In 2010, I dressed as a Mountie accompanying Mary Poppins & Bert the Chimney Sweep. Last year, at the last-minute I joined the Roper’s making a Where’s Waldo costume by coloring red stripes on a white long sleeve shirt.
To me making your own homemade costume is the fun of Halloween. I remember when I made an Elvis Presley costume from plastic white banquet roll, stapling together parts for Marge Simpson or finding the perfect shirt to be Stewart from MadTV. This year’s group costume really wasn’t in the cards. I guess sometimes the last-minute costumes are the ones that bring the most fun.
Many who know me, know that I collect board games, so being the characters from Milton Bradley’s CLUE was a real treat. After digging through our boxes of dress-up clothes we found a maid costume, red dress and purple trench coat, green pants and tan jacket. A lightbulb moment happened and we thought let’s be the characters of the CLUE board game for Halloween. I was originally supposed to be Mr. Green because of my green suit but that had to change after I visited the Salvation Army in St. Anthony the day of the party and found the perfect plum velvet jacket that fit me to a tee, as well as short purple pants, a large green jacket and bright yellow blazer and a blue dress for Mrs. Peacock. After shuffling some characters we are as follows:
Mr. Green with the wrench, Miss Scarlet with the candlestick, Mrs. Peacock with the knife, Col. Mustard with the revolver, Mrs. White with the rope and myself as Professor Plum with a lead pipe. The Mystery remains…Who Killed Mr. Body?
The Sandy Cove Lion’s Club on Friday Night filled with characters including Willie Wonka Nerds, Anne of Green Gables, Fred & Wilma Flintstone, Al Capone, devils, pirates, cats, wizards, dead cheerleaders, scarecrows, witches, police officers, Grime Reaper, Indians, Spiderlady and many other ghouls and goblins. Everyone broke out when the Monster Mash played and we all danced long into the night.
Young and old alike, we continue to have much spirit in rural Newfoundland & Labrador – especially during occasions like Halloween.
Be sure to join us some time!
Live Rural NL –
Christopher Mitchelmore, MHA The Straits-White Bay North