Free costume event that gave kids some-fang to talk about
After not much deliberation, Simone Vasques chose to be Snow White. Photos by Brandy Muz
With a little help from mom, Tristan Mclain becomes Wareham's very own Batman.
Costumes line the tables and racks.
Lucas and Lincoln Hughes show how they'd move if they were monsters.
Gwendolyn Hughes shows off her costume to her mom.
Gwendolyn and Lincoln Hughes leave with new outfits.
A real life princess, Juniper Estes chose to be Belle.
Juniper Estes gives her new gown a twirl.
Cathy Longfield tries on part of a knight costume.
Googly eyes for googly-eyed costume needs.
Simone Vasques gets help from her mom during the event.
After not much deliberation, Simone Vasques chose to be Snow White. Photos by Brandy Muz
With a little help from mom, Tristan Mclain becomes Wareham's very own Batman.
Costumes line the tables and racks.
Lucas and Lincoln Hughes show how they'd move if they were monsters.
Gwendolyn Hughes shows off her costume to her mom.
Gwendolyn and Lincoln Hughes leave with new outfits.
A real life princess, Juniper Estes chose to be Belle.
Juniper Estes gives her new gown a twirl.
Cathy Longfield tries on part of a knight costume.
Googly eyes for googly-eyed costume needs.
Simone Vasques gets help from her mom during the event.
Free costumes were no trick— and they gave parents wallets a treat, too.
In an event that brought together months of donations, The Gleason Family YMCA held a free costume swap Saturday, Oct. 11. Donations were accepted beginning in August to give children the opportunity to dress-up at no cost.
Special Events Coordinator, Cathy Longfield, ran the event after a hiatus.
"It was getting difficult to collect costumes," she said. "But this year, we brought it back and we've had a great time— we have gotten a lot of great costumes."
From princesses to pirates, children ran around the YMCA looking for their next outfit. Longfield said that Walt's Mobile Closet as well as local donations helped the event flourish.
"It's good to see the kids pick up something themselves," she said. "We keep things low to the ground so they get to choose their costumes."
Longfield said that big stores may overwhelm the children and cited the rising costs of costumes as a reason to give back.
"It's keeping things affordable in our community. We like to be a community partner with costumes, food and everything. It can be expensive to do Halloween between the costumes and candy," she said.
Wareham boasts a variety of Halloween events. Longfield highlighted the opportunity for children to be able to dress up as something different rather than putting on the same outfit over and over.
Kids like Gwendolyn Hughes already had costumes but had dozens of occasions to attend this year. She picked a bridal dress and veil with plans to also be Wednesday Adams.
While her favorite part of Halloween is the candy, she has fond memories of dressing up. When she wore an Elsa costume from the movie "Frozen," she said the outfit didn't come off for nearly five years.
"I wore it until it didn't fit," she said.
Lauren Bailey and Alane Carbone stopped by to help replenish the stock with new donations. The pair said it was their first time and that it felt nice to give back.
"It just makes me smile, it's a wonderful thing to do," Lauren said. "It feels good to donate and to know that those kids are going to smile to because they're having fun."
For Longfield, she said watching the kids collect items to make their own costumes was her favorite part and that the swap was a good way to teach as well.
"We love the to teach our young people to upcycle," she said. "Reduce, reuse and recycle. Let's think about things differently. I think it's an important lesson."
