It’s time for pumpkin picking, trick-or-treating and — for this strange year, anyway — wearing a COVID-19 mask under the one that came with your costume.
With Halloween on the horizon, we asked this week’s panel to tell us about their most unforgettable costume — as a kid or a grown-up.
BECKY LEIBACH
Carle nurse
"Growing up, Halloween was always a fun time getting dressed up and trick or treating with my brother. But as an adult, with a family of my own, it became the most loved holiday for me.
“For seven years, our family of six would dress up as a group for the annual trunk or treat at St. Matthew School in Champaign. We would start planning in the early summer for what theme we wanted to tackle.
“Each year, we got more and more creative and the costumes took longer to put together. Our garage turned into our costume shop with me working into the late evening sewing, gluing and painting.
“I think our last family group costume was my most favorite. Our oldest was in eighth grade and she informed all of us that this was the last time she was dressing up for trunk or treat.
“So the challenge was on. It was ‘go big or go home.’
“We decided to be classic toys. Gary was the Rubik’s Cube, I was a Cabbage Patch Doll, Abby was Barbie, Callahan was an Army Man, Celie was a Jack-in the-Box and Campbell was Operation, including the red glowing nose.
“I put wheels on Barbie’s box so she could move around the parking lot. She was a hit that night with all of the little girls.
“I definitely miss dressing up every year as a family but I am glad that we were able to make so many memories. Memories that my kids will be able to share together as they get older.”
NICOLE KUGLICH
Choral Director, Mahomet-Seymour Junior High
“The first costume that comes to mind was Halloween 1983 — my second-grade year.
“I was living in a small, rural town in Ohio. That year, for some unknown reason, I decided I wanted to be a clown. Not your typical happy clown — I wanted a sad clown.
“My mom rented a costume from a local party store and worked diligently on my makeup to create a suitably sad expression. The piéce de rèsistance — in my 7-year-old mind — was my deflated balloons dragging joylessly behind me.
“Somehow, this costume took the top prize in my school’s costume contest.”
ABBY FOSTER
Danville’s Miss Illinois 2017
“I’ve loved dressing up for Halloween over the years. I’ve had plenty of awesome costumes like a homemade Tigger, a thrifted grandma costume with my best friend and even the ‘Grease’-inspired costume in this photo.
“When I was in the second grade, ‘Grease The Musical’ was going on tour, so my mom and I went to see it. I, of course, had to dress up as Sandy for Halloween.
"I was living in Memphis, Tennessee, at the time, so I didn’t need a winter coat or anything, which really helped me pull off the look.”
JOHANNA STEFFENS
Drama Director, Tuscola High
"The year was 1988 and I was in kindergarten in Tuscola when I wore my favorite costume, Dorothy Gale from 'The Wizard of Oz.' These were the days before Amazon Prime and my costume was homemade.
"My Grandma Steven made my blue gingham dress and my mom transformed clear jelly sandals into ruby red slippers with lots of glue and glitter.
"The magic of Halloween is still alive in our house today and we dress up in family costumes every year. We even recreated the 'Wizard of Oz' a few years back and my oldest daughter got her turn at Dorothy because some things never go out of style."
JULIA RIETZ
Champaign County State’s Attorney
“A dozen years ago, when we lived in Cherry Hills, we went all out on Halloween with costumes and a haunted house in our garage and hopefully made some lasting memories for the kids and grown-ups in the neighborhood.
“My husband worked each October turning the garage into a haunted maze. Every year, it got more and more elaborate. He built walls and made rooms with different themes. He had spooky lighting and smoke machines, animated figures that came at you and made terrifying sounds, and chains and knives and bones hanging from the ceiling.
“If you could buy it at the Halloween store, we had it in our garage. And, of course, we dressed in costume to welcome the lines of trick-or-treaters and hand out candy at the end.
“My favorite was Halloween 2008, when the whole family joined in the ghoulish theme. And it was an election year, so why not combine Halloween with a little campaigning?”
MARIAH MADISON
Editor, Buy Black Chambana
“I remember dressing up as Minnie Mouse one year. I wore a red dress and the Mickey Mouse Mouseketeer
ear hat that I had gotten from my family’s trip to Disney World that year.
“I think my focus was more on the candy than the actual Halloween costume during my adolescent years. In my mind, the holiday season went: candy, food and then presents — or better known as Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas.
“In my anticipation for Christmas, last year for Halloween I dressed up as the Grinch who stole Christmas. Does that make me the Grinch that stole Halloween?”
JANE HAYS
Managing Director, The Downey Group
"Although I love Halloween, regretfully, I don’t specifically remember any of my Halloween costumes, except in fourth grade when I was a Beatle, with three of my friends.
"I went to Bottenfield. Every year, we stood in front of the class and our classmates guessed who we were. I always failed in this contest. I was certain it was because my costumes were dime store bought. I was very jealous of my friends who had homemade, imaginative costumes, like Raggedy Ann, Dracula or ghosts. Even as a Beatle with a floppy wig, I was immediately 'outed.'
"Probably to compensate, I went all out on my kids’ costumes. I made them elaborate costumes every year. Even our dog, Ernie, was always dressed; and I still display the photos.
"It’s impossible to name one as most memorable, although as a middle schooler, my son Mike’s Dallas-bought inflatable Sumo wrestler costume would be near the top.
"We recently found it, and the motor to blow it up, in my basement. You would have thought I gave him a thousand dollars. He said he was immediately going home to put it on and scare someone."
TIM BANNON
Executive Director, Willard Airport
“When I was in second grade, I dressed up as a Chicago Bears player — outfitted with an inflatable helmet and a real football.
“We bought it off the shelf at a store — a costume I picked out personally. I’ve always been a big Chicago Bears fan and really enjoyed that Halloween. As I trick-or-treated around the neighborhood with my family, I felt like a professional football player.”
STEPHANIE DAVENPORT
Grants and Marketing Coordinator, Developmental Services Center
"My most memorable Halloween costumes growing up were always the ones we made with items we had around the house, or were handmade. I sometimes think parents feel pressured to make holidays perfect, but as an adult, when I look back, I remember what was silly, fun or creatively put together.
"One year, I went as Miss America. I used the dress I wore as a flower girl from my aunt’s wedding earlier that summer. My mom made me the rest of what I needed, or we picked it up cheap. That’s how we did it back then.
"One Halloween, my dad took my brother and I out dressed up as an elderly couple. I wore pajamas and a bathrobe. We rolled my hair up in curlers and then smudged lipstick a little outside the lines of my lips.
"I dangled a candy cigarette out of my mouth, which sounds awful now, but this was in the late-'70s, so it was representative of the times. My mom was likely still at work because she probably wouldn’t have allowed us to have the candy cigarette.
"We lived in East Urbana at the time, and I was probably 5 years old. I’ve always loved flipping through old family photo albums and laughing at how silly it was. We weren’t allowed to go out trick-or-treating by ourselves, so my dad drove us around to the homes of family members and trusted family friends.
"When we returned home from trick-or-treating each year, we always poured all of our candy out on the floor. We had to examine each piece for defects because my trick or treating years occurred right around the times of when all of the Tylenol poisoning and Halloween candy scare was happening. We loved all of it."
DUSTIN HEUERMAN
Champaign County Sheriff
“My mom sent me this pic from when I was about 4 or 5, which might give you a different perspective of the ol’ sheriff.
“This would have been in the Effingham area and my mom made the clown costume.
“We lived in the country, so I always remember going into Effingham for trick-or-treating. We’d hit the neighborhoods where we knew people, and of course the ‘fancy neighborhood,’ where people gave out full-sized candy bars. We would always end the night stopping by my great-grandparents’ house for a popcorn ball.”
PATTY DUDLEY
Youth Theater Director, Champaign Park District
“I had a Chatty Cathy doll that talked when you pulled a string. I loved wearing sailor outfits, so I dressed Chatty Cathy in a sailor outfit.
“My favorite costume was when I wore my sailor dress, with white tights and black patent-leather baby jane shoes. My sister curled my hair like Chatty Cathy, put a pink barrette in my hair, made big rosy cheeks and pink lipstick. I froze to death, but it was a special Halloween.”
TONIA KIRBY
Teacher, Rantoul’s J.W. Eater Junior High
“My favorite Halloween costume was a butterfly. I was in third grade. I wore black tights and a black leotard.
“My mom made wings out of cardboard that I wore like a backpack and could make flap. She painted it with neons and glow-in-the-dark paints.”
