Politics gives Halloween extra flavor

By KATIE SEMINARA

On Halloween John McCain and Barack Obama might be rubbing elbows in public.

Not the real presidential candidates of course, but people dressed up as the one or the other for the holiday.

Political masks are big sellers this year, said Roberta Tattrie, shift manager and buyer for Party Max in the Shops at Boardman Park.

The store sold out of Obama and McCain masks, but still has a variety of other politicians to be worn on Halloween including: George Bush; Donald Rumsfeld; Richard Nixon; and Ronald Reagan.

If politics aren’t your thing, Tattrie said the classic costumes never go out of style. Freddy Krueger from “Nightmare on Elm Street” and Michael Myers from “Halloween” are always popular picks and Indiana Jones, whip in hand, will be out patrolling for candy.

“This is the biggest holiday of the year for us. People go all out for Halloween,” said Tattrie.

Sarah Flament of Poland will take a little pirate and Tinker Bell trick-or-treating tomorrow.

“The biggest factor wasn’t as much safety, but the cost,” said Flament of what she took into consideration when purchasing the pirate costume for 4-year-old Logan.

After all accessories were bought the total outfit costs about $40, she said.

The Tinker Bell costume for 11-month-old Alyssa was given to Flament.

Since trick-or-treating is scheduled earlier in the evening, costume safety is less of an issue.

“I don’t think about the brightness of the costume because they do it during daylight hours and one of us [parents] is always with them,” said Flament.

The Flament’s home is prepared for the little ghouls and goblins by making sure walkways are well lit and placing decorations to create a spooky atmosphere, she said.

Jayne Boucherle’s kids are a bit older, but are still dressing up for the occasion.

“My son wants to be a gorilla and by the time you purchase everything it will be about $70,” said Boucherle who was hoping to change his costume idea to something less expensive.

Boucherle’s son Brian is a senior and her daughter Lauren is a sophomore at Canfield. The two can dress up for school as long as they do not wear masks, she said.

Lauren and her friends are going as gold diggers with gold painted buckets and shovels, said Boucherle.

Creating costumes from scratch isn’t a thing of the past and April Mellott of Springfield was purchasing the last bit of material to complete her 2-year-old’s witch costume at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Craft Store on Market Street on Wednesday.

“Store bought costumes aren’t well made and they aren’t warm,” said Mellott who also made a bat princess costume for her 4-year-old.

Both costumes have room for pants under the skirts and sweatshirt tops to match so the girls stay warm during their trick-or-treating experience.

Creating costumes on your own makes for better fitting costumes that don’t have to be covered by a jacket because you can make them warm, she said.

The girls will also be wearing glow-in-the dark bracelets and necklaces as an added safety feature.

“It’s fun for me to make the costumes and the girls like to help. It makes more of an event out of the holiday,” said Mellott.

Mellott wasn’t the only costume creator to come through Jo-Ann’s this season. A group of 21 teachers from a preschool purchased multiple colors of felt to create M&M costumes, said store manager Lesly Lesnak.

The owner of the preschool was dressing as the M&M bag, she said.

Hannah Montana was a popular choice for customers this year as well as princess and fairy outfits, said Lesnak and Patty Bokanovich merchandise team leader.

Trick-or-treaters shouldn’t need to worry about covering up their costumes this weekend because according to The Weather Channel the Valley should have temperatures around 60 degrees. Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with a low of 42 degrees and Saturday may have a few showers with a low of 38 degrees.