Even though Halloween is over, it?s hard for me to let it go until I can tell a few more stories.
It never ceases to amaze me how creative so many parents can be when making costumes for their children.
This year was no exception as hundreds of little ones dressed as monsters, fairies, Ninja Turtles, cowboys and other characters walked up and down Main Street during the annual Trick or Treat Main Street event in Hillsboro.
Deciding which costume was my favorite would be too hard, so I decided instead to mention a few that deserve special recognition.
One of the most imaginative costumes I saw was a little mouse in a mouse trap.
His parents replicated a ?Victor? mouse trap and placed it over the top of their son?s wagon. Complete with a little chair, he was able to enjoy eating his candy as his dad pulled the wagon around town.
His older brother was Superman, but with a slight twist. He was part Clark Kent with the glasses, shirt and slacks, and part Superman, with his cape and uniform. I think he was looking for a phone booth to change completely.
Another costume deserving mention was worn by Grayson Jost. He was dressed in a cowboy hat and chaps, but what rounded out the whole thing was that every time he was given candy, he tipped his hat to the ladies.
Three little truck drivers also were busy heading down the sidewalk in their rigs, although one of the drivers decided to abandon her truck.
Princess Leia of ?Star Wars? fame also made an appearance.
But did you know there is actually a Princess Leia Angry Bird? I didn?t know that until last Thursday.
The Dynamic Duo of Batman and Robin, with Kodi Panzer as Robin and her faithful dog as Batman, also had to make adjustments.
Apparently Kodi said her dog went inside her office after a couple of other dogs walked by. They must not have realized Kodi?s dog was in costume.
Melanie Scott and Willy, her 244-pound pig, also made an appearance and so did Jack Frost.
As I said before, there were so many neat costumes that it?s hard to pick out only a few.
For that reason, we have most of the trick-or-treaters highlighted in a slideshow on the Hillsboro Free Press website. To view the show, go to www.hillsborofreepress.com and click ?Trick or Treat Main Street 2013 Slideshow.? in the Breaking News category.
It?s worth it.
In addition to children in Halloween costumes, I want to report on a couple stories told during the ghost tour sponsored last week by the Marion Historical Museum
One of those stories was told by Ed Wheeler, who said he has heard many stories about all sorts of spirits that may or may not be lurking in the Marion County Courthouse. Everything from a dancing couple in the main hallway to a terrible story of someone hanging himself in the clock tower.
?Being a lawyer,? he said, ?you got to ask what are the facts, and I couldn?t find out anything about a dancing couple or anyone hanging themselves in the clock tower.?
However, Wheeler did say he found something about 10 years ago that happened down on the first floor involving a man and woman who were painting inside the courthouse some evenings.
While they were painting, various court personnel were chosen to come in at night and help them close up and lock the doors.
?The last night the guy and gal painted, the court person showed up to let them out,? Wheeler said. ?They all heard a funny scraping going up and down the hallway above them on this main floor.
?The guy, being a guy,? Wheeler said, ?told the two ladies there had to be a logical explanation for this.
?I?ll just go up and check it out,? the man told them.
And with that, the man went up the stairs to see what he could see.
?Up he goes, and about 10 seconds later, down those stairs he comes, right down the middle and out the side door. He didn?t say a word and was never to be seen again.?
As for the court person who told him the story, Wheeler said she went to her car and sat there for about 10 minutes to regain her composure before going home.
?What they saw no one knows, and they aren?t saying,? he said.
?Now some of the folks who work in the basement of the courthouse left out tape recorders at night. When we would come in the next morning, we heard the darndest sounds on that tape and we don?t know where it came from or who it is.
?So, we have decided there is a new custodian working in the courthouse? whether he is a good or bad custodian, we don?t know. But that?s our story and we are sticking to it.?
Gary Ewert, ghost tour guide, said he has a theory about the dancing couple. He said it has to be one of two things.
?One, either the couple were married by a justice of the peace and were very happy or, two, they had just gotten a divorce and were very happy and skipping out.?
Wheeler said another theory about the dancing couple is that they saw the appraiser and won their tax appeal.
?That would be a rarity for sure,? he said.
When I think about Halloween it brings back memories of parties and bobbing for apples, silly costumes and trading pieces of candy with my older brothers.
More recently, it was fun going on the ghost tour in Marion and learning some of the folklore.
Now that Halloween is over, though, I have my sights set on Thanksgiving and Christmas?two more special holidays to be enjoyed with family and friends.
