Date: Fri 25-Oct-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Location: A16

Quick Words:

Halloween-costume-party-P&R

Full Text:

(Parks & Rec Halloween party, 10/25/96)

No Lions, But Tiggers & Dorothy Were There

(with photos)

BY SHANNON HICKS

By the time the annual Newtown Parks & Recreation Department-sponsored

Halloween party was winding down Tuesday afternoon, the stage at the back of

Dickinson Park's pavilion had once again become the favorite spot for children

running around in their costumes.

A wooden stage, the performance area is always a popular spot for kids to run

back and forth, chase each other around and get a better view of everything

going on around them. After playing games, competing in pumpkin decorating and

candy counting contests, eating snacks and drinking apple cider, and of

course, participating in the traditional costume parade, many of the young

ones in costume always seem to naturally migrate to the stage, where there are

no organized events except maybe a game of seeing who can stomp their feet the

loudest.

Barbara Kasbarian, director of the P&R Department, once again coordinated a

fun hour for children. Moms and dads arrived at the October 22 celebration

with their children in costume, ready for some pre-Halloween candy and fun.

Generally held prior to Halloween itself, the Parks & Recreation party is a

good time to give costumes a trial run before their official use October 31.

While children were allowed to roam around and check each other's costumes out

Tuesday afternoon, there were continuous games being run by Parks & Rec staff

and volunteers. Near the pavilion's side entrance, lines were constant for the

ring toss and ball throwing games.

A large jar filled with candy corn of different shapes was set up so children

could guess how many pieces of candy the jar contained. The winner was the one

who guessed the closest, without going over. Tiffany Rotella took the jar

home, after putting in a guess of 2,822; the jar held 2,920 pieces of candy.

Pumpkins that had been decorated at home before the party were exhibited along

the front of the stage. Imaginations had run wild, as the pumpkins were

decorated with paint, had various designs carved into them, or were covered

with yarn and hats. The most creative pumpkins were deemed to be those done by

Zach Bokuniewicz, Benjamin Cruson, Kateleigh Stole and Kim Vinci.

The highlight of these parties each year always seems to be the costume

parade. This year's parade route was altered somewhat due to the heavy weekend

rains, which left most of the park's field areas very soggy. Instead of

walking down from the parking lot towards the pool and then through the

Playspace playground area back to the pavilion, this year's route wound

through the parking lot and immediately within the pavilion's vicinity.

While there were many fun and entertaining costumes, the judges selected two

pirates as the scariest; Sarah Piazza as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and

Sammy Carlisle's princess costume were Most Original; Kimberly Vinci's

portrayal of the Pillsbury Doughboy and Dale Harris' alien costume the Most

Original; and the Best Homemade Costumes were Zach Bokuniewicz as a scarecrow

and Christina Midlik as a little pumpkin.