It’s not too early to start celebrating Halloween with local events, free costume rentals and lots of opportunities for candy. Here are some of the upcoming events for families and trends this Halloween.
Free costumes
As Halloween approaches, kids and adults can check out costumes from the library instead of purchasing them.
The library is offering this service for the first time and already has a wide array of options after receiving costume donations from the community.
Costumes for the kids include Disney princesses, ladybugs, pirates, firefighters, superheroes and more. For adults, there are superheros, pig, Waldo and ‘80s popstar.
There is no limit on the number of costumes each family can check out, so each child can rent one. There are also new unworn wigs and accessories. Wigs are free to take and keep.
Costumes will be due back after Halloween.
Those with library cards can search the card catalog to see what costumes are available. Photos of some of the costumes are also available on the library Facebook page.
Trick-or-treat trail
To put those costumes to use before the actual holiday, kids can participate in De Soto’s trick-or-treat trail.
The city will turn the forest at Riverfest Park into a trail with tables decorated to provide a spooky atmosphere as kids grab candy. The event will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 19, and kids will be able to trick-or-treat through the forest.
Organizations and businesses can sign up to have a table at the event to hand out candy or promotional materials. Registration is free and due by 5 p.m. Oct. 14. The link to sign up is here.
The event will have free food, face painting, crafts, games and activities, as well as photo opportunities.
There will also be a prize for the best costume.
Free movie
The Eudora Parks and Rec Department will play Hotel Transylvania from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Village Green space. Families can bring lawn chairs, blankets and wear costumes to enjoy the film. There will be popcorn and light refreshments available.
Free candy
Eudora’s own Trunk-or-Treat will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26 on Main Street. The Chamber of Commerce will host the annual free event for kids to walk down the street collecting candy from local businesses or residents’ vehicles.
There will be food trucks and a beer garden with both cocktails and mocktails. There will also be free inflatables for kids.
Members of the Chamber can receive a spot on Main Street to pass out candy for free. Non-members can reserve a spot for $20. Sign ups for that are available here.
The Chamber is also looking for volunteers for the event, as well as sponsors.
Pumpkin patch hours
If you still need to pick out your pumpkins, Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday until Oct. 30.
Halloween trends
As for popular costumes this year, the No. 1 costume for children is Spider-Man, followed by a ghost, princess, witch, superhero and Batman. It’s estimated 2.6 million kids will dress as Spider-Man, according to the National Retail Federation.
For adults the most popular is a witch, followed by a vampire, cat, Batman, pirate and ghost.
Just like last year, the National Retail Federation expects total spending on adult costumes to reach about $1.8 billion, and spending on children’s costumes is likely to hit $1.3 billion.
The total planned spending per person for the holiday is estimated at about $104.
People are also doing their spending earlier, with 47% of those polled beginning their shopping before October. Five years ago, that number was 37%.
Total Halloween spending is expected to reach $11.6 billion, down from last year’s record $12.2 billion.
Know of other Halloween events in the area that should be listed? Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected].
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