Halloween costume

“I’m going to a Halloween party and I need a really cool costume; one that isn’t too complicated.” The staff at the Newton Falls Public Library is always willing to assist with party ideas. The Halloween Handbook: 447 costumes by Bridie Clark and Ashley Dodd is filled with easy to create costumes. You can select from 14 different chapters of costumes including: Movie and TV Characters, History in the Making, Literature and Art, and Odds and Ends. My personal favorite was Play with Your Words which has ‘Chick Magnet’ (attaching small marshmallow or fluffy novelty chicks to a shirt) and ‘Pointless’ (fastening unsharpened pencils all over your clothes while spending the evening making meaningless statements). Jim and Tim, the Duct Tape Guys Present The Original Duct Tape Halloween Book includes very unusual costumes, but also some very creative ones such as a knight in shining armor using cardboard and silver duct tape. If you need a last minute costume for your child or even yourself, Child's Play: quick and easy costumes by Leslie Hamilton is a good choice.

Creating costume effects without a mask can be done with Create Your Own Stage Make-up by Gill Davies and Decorate Yourself: cool designs for temporary tattoos, face painting, henna & more by Tom Andrich. These are especially useful when seeking to disguise yourself without obscuring your vision; just be careful if you are planning to bob for apples.

If you are hosting the party or are staying at home waiting for the trick or treaters, and are personally more of a trickster than a ‘treater’, consider Give Them a Real Scare This Halloween: a guide to scaring trick-or-treaters, and haunting your house, yard, or party written by Joseph Pfeiffer. Not all the ideas in this book are gross or scary; some are just plain fun like the ‘Jack-o-laugh-tern’ talking pumpkin head. There are also costume and makeup suggestions. CDs Andrew Gold's Halloween Howls and Spooky Favorites will make the evening sound creepy. Halloween: 101 frightfully fun ideas is also filled with suggestions to make the night memorable. And what would a holiday season of any type be without Martha Stewart and the Martha Stewart Living book, Halloween?

Looking for some ghoulish Halloween treats? Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes by Josie Fison and Felicity Dahl will be useful for a dinner party requiring Wormy Spaghetti, Hot Frogs, and Stink Bugs’ Eggs. Consider the delectable choices in The Fear Factor Cookbook by Bev Bennett, which are accompanied by “WARNING: Not recommended for weak stomachs Eat at your own RISK.” You could complete your party with Blood and Bile Cocktail and Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Cakes.

A properly carved Jack O’ Lantern is an important ingredient in the day’s celebration. The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons has suggestions for carving. There are some great online resources which include information about pumpkins and carving templates. Try Pumpkin Carving 101 [http://www.pumpkincarving101.com/] and Family Fun [http://familyfun.com/] for ideas. After you finish your carving, enter your pumpkin into our annual Harvest Fest’s carved pumpkin contest on Monday, October 27 at 5:45 p.m. The Harvest Fest has become a library tradition and will be held from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. There will also be costume contests for kids, teens and adults, refreshments, craft and story times. Judging will begin at 6:00 p.m.; winners will be announced at the conclusion of the event.