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clintonnews.com: Serving the city of Clinton, Mississippi
Costumes part of annual fun
By Amanda Wells
Special to The Clinton NewsMelanie Thortis | The Clinton News
Five-year-old Ellie Scott and her sister, Emma Scott, 9, put on their best pirate face for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Ellie and Emma’s cousins will also dress as pirates this year for trick-or-treating fun.
HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS
# Plan bright, reflective costumes. Make sure shoes fit and costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.
# Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility. Because a mask can limit or block eyesight, consider instead non-toxic and hypoallergenic makeup or a decorative hat.
# When shopping for costumes, wigs, and accessories, purchase only those with a label indicating they are flame resistant.
# Think twice before using simulated knives, guns, or swords. If you must, make sure they do not appear authentic and are soft and flexible to prevent injury.
# Children and their escorts should use flashlights with fresh batteries. Plan ahead to use only battery-powered lanterns or chemical light sticks in place of candles in decorations and costumes.
# Review with your children the principle of “stop, drop and roll” should their clothes catch on fire.
# Eliminate tripping hazards on your porch and walkway. Check for flowerpots, low tree limbs, support wires or garden hoses that are hazardous to young children rushing from house to house.
Despite the tough economy, parents are still purchasing Halloween costumes for their little goblins or making them by hand.
That’s the finding of Angie Hicks, founder of the consumer awareness Web site www.angieslist.com.
She finds many people spend between $25-$50 on Halloween costumes.
At Party City on East County Line Road in Jackson, the economy hasn’t spooked off customers.
“Sales are really good. They’re comparable to last year,” said co-owner Alice Harrigill.
“You hear more people saying that it’s going to be one night of having a little bit of fun. They’re looking forward to it.”
Party City’s big sellers for kids: Characters such as Cody and Rex from Star Wars: The Clone Wars; Hannah Montana; and Sharpay from High School Musical.
“The adults like the couples’ costumes, like Fred and Wilma, or the funny ones, like ‘The Freshman 15,’ ” Harrigill said.
She’s had to reorder the Star Wars characters already. “Darth Vader is still a huge hit, too, with the young boys,” she said.
Prices start at $9.99 and go up from there, with the average price at about $19.99, Harrigill aid.
Heather Head said she enjoys making costumes for her children – Jake, 5, and Elizabeth, 3 – and saving money in the process.
“I enjoy being creative, and my kids love the outcome,” said the Byram mom. “I don’t sew, but I have found that you can do a lot with a cardboard box.”
Head credits her husband Keith with contributing imagination and energy in making sure the boxes will withhold the wear and tear of harvest carnivals and trick or treating.
“Last year, Elizabeth was Sally from the Cars movie and Jake was Underdog from the Disney movie,” Head said. “I fashioned an empty Pull-Ups box into Sally, which required a lot of cutting, taping and stapling.
“For Underdog, I bought red sweatpants and sweatshirt, cut out a ‘U’ in white felt, found some blue fabric for a cape and purchased a dog mask.”
Sarah Broadus of Clinton coordinates costumes for her two daughters, Madyson, 2, and Aubrie Kate, 7 months, to match those of their cousins.
This Halloween, the Broadus girls will be pirates. Madyson is fascinated with Dora the Explorer’s Pirate Adventure, Broadus said.
“Halloween has always been a fun holiday around our house,” she said. “Instead of walking the neighborhood this year, we are going to do a hayride with a pirate ship theme.”
Adults in the family join in the fun by dressing up, she said. “Madyson’s first year, we all went as a litter of kittens,” Broadus said.
“I added fur to her costume that year, but as for sewing, I usually leave that up to my mother-in-law.”
Broadus appreciates the once-a-year whimsy that Halloween offers.
“How many days of the year can you walk around as a pirate, princess, bottle of mustard or a pumpkin and not feel out of place?” she said.
Staff writer Ruth Ingram contributed to this article.
Those are some good halloween safety tips, so many people forget about being safe at halloween when trick or treating. For some halloween is a year long event.
Those are some good halloween safety tips, so many people forget about being safe at halloween when trick or treating. For some halloween is a year long event.
Thank you so much for sharing excellent Halloween safety tips.
Thank you so much for sharing excellent Halloween safety tips.