HALLOWEEN FUN

The winner of the Plains Lions Club Halloween costume contest couldn't even be seen. The "Invisible Man" took first place and the top prize of $20 and he was actually a she.

Tia Bellinger of Plains dressed in a dark suit and hat and black glasses, which appeared to be suspended. The 10-year-old looked through holes in the suit jacket, but wore panty hose to aid in concealing her eyes and a black ski mask so people couldn't see the top of her head, said Trista Feist, her mother, who made the costume with some help from Tia, who looked through the Internet to get costume ideas. Feist said it took them about five hours to make the costume but that Tia didn't want to be the invisible girl. This is the third win for the Bellinger girl to take first place.

"It was very hard; there were a lot of good costumes. That invisible man was definitely first place," said Daphne Boles, who judged the contest this year with Lores Porter. There were 68 competitors, which is believed to be the most the Lions Club has ever had. The contest at Fred Young Park Saturday was open to children from newborn to 10 years old. Second place went to Sage Doble, who dressed up as a trapper, and won $15. Karissa French, a green-faced princess, took third and a $10 prize. 

Organizers this year added five more categories. The scariest costume category went to 9-year-old Kingston Nyomo, who dressed as a scarecrow. Ryker Anderson, 7, was a Costco food sample station employee and won the funniest costume category. Aspen Glase, 4, was a baby buck, complete with stick antlers and a whitetail attached to her behind, winning the cutest category. James Dyck, 10, won the most original class as the Red Reaper. And the youngest winner was 4-month-old Gideon Hardy as a snowman. Each received $5.

"I thought everybody should have gotten a prize. They were so awesome," said Porter. "There were so many good ones I thought everyone should have got at least a buck," said Boles, who wants to judge again next year. She would like to see different age categories and have the judges at a table with the contestants walking past.

"We like to do events for the children," said Connie Foust, president of the Plains Lions Club. Foust and nine other Lions members helped with the annual Halloween Weenie Roast, which included the costume contest. "They were wonderful. Some gave a lot of thought and work into them. The little children were so cute and happy to be out and about," said Foust.

But kids weren't the only ones to don costumes. Numerous adults joined the fun with their own colorful and unusual outfits, including the Spurr family, who all dressed up as cast members from the musical "Grease." Steve Spurr, vice president of the Lions Club, was Danny Zuko. His wife, Whitney, was Sandy. Their daughter, Cooper, was Patty Simcox, one of the cheerleaders. The other daughter, Kendall, was Frenchie, a member of the Pink Ladies. Whitney's mother, Margo, was Jan, also a Pink Lady, and her father, Marvin, was the show's geek, Eugene. Marvin even dusted off his own high school letter sweater and got a flattop haircut for the event.

The Spurrs have been doing a dress-up theme for the last nine years. They had planned to do Grease last year, but couldn't find all the costumes, so went as members of the "Wizard of Oz." Whitney said they weren't going to do it this year, but were asked by three people what their theme was going to be. "I didn't realize how much of a precedent we had set for ourselves doing this year after year, and that people actually look forward to it," she said.

Lions member Ron Warren spent a couple of hours earlier in the day making 40 willow sticks for people to cook hot dogs over open fires. McGowan Grocery this year donated the money for nearly all the 300 hot dogs, buns, and drinks, said Foust. Lions member Ken Matthiesen estimated that there may have over 200 people at the event. Foust felt the it was successful and believes people look forward to the weenie roast and costume contest every year.

Numerous businesses started handing out goodies to trick or treaters earlier in the afternoon and the Plains Woman's Club had its pumpkin painting time, although this was the first year to hold it at the VFW Hall. The club provided markers and pumpkins for the kids to decorate. Pat Farmer, one of four club members to volunteer at the event, said they had 62 kids decorate pumpkins, one of the biggest numbers they've had since starting the event four years ago. In accordance with precautions against COVID-19, all of the club members wore protective masks and they sanitized the acrylic markers between usage. 

The Christian Alliance Church didn't have its Harvest Festival this year and the United Methodist Church didn't have its candied apples and cider event, but members of the Plains Bible Chapel for the first time gathered at the E. L. Johnson Memorial Pool Park and handed out goody bags for four hours. "Because of the COVID, we thought nobody would be doing anything," said Elaina Griffith, who said she and her husband, Jack, made 100 of the goody bags and the church provided 250 of them. Each bag had "God Loves You" on the front and an assortment of snacks inside. They also handed out a "The Best Treat of All" tract, which told of Jesus Christ and salvation.

For the 11th year, Sunset Hills Funeral Home in Plains opened its doors on Halloween night for donuts, hot and cold cider and hot chocolate, said Mary Egbert, who owns the business with her husband, Wayne, whose costume was a "Poop Emoji." The funeral parlor was decorated with spooks of all sorts, including a specially made Halloween casket with a skeleton witch inside and a skeleton behind the wheel of the hearse out front. Mary guessed that more than 300 kids and adults showed up. They handed out 25 dozen donuts. "We always enjoy watching the kids come through. There were some really neat costumes," said Mary. She said a toddler and father came dressed as skunks. "They were so adorable," she said. She and Wayne look forward to having the funeral home open every year, but noted that they won't be doing it next year because Halloween falls on a Sunday in 2021 and they won't do it on the Sabbath, she said.