THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610190106
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: COVER STORY
SOURCE: BY REBECCA MYERS CUTCHINS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 88 lines
To children, bowling with bright orange pumpkins, bobbing for spongy white marshmallows and hunting for hidden treasures in haystacks is just plain fun.
But to professionals who work with the disabled, the games are ``multisensory'' activities that allow children with special needs to enjoy a little Halloween fun.
That's precisely the idea behind ``A Very Special Halloween,'' a party open to all children but with special consideration given to the needs of the disabled.
This year's event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot adjacent to the Children's Museum of Virginia. It will be held rain or shine.
``Every organization participating in `A Very Special Halloween' is going to have an activity that a child in a wheelchair or a blind child or a child with any other kind of handicap would be able to enjoy,'' said Marci Coleman-Smith, chairperson of the event. ``But it's open to all children, all families. It's a big family event.''
For parents who would like to take a little break, volunteers will be on hand to help roll wheelchairs or escort children from one station to the next, said Coleman-Smith, a case manager and service coordinator with CANDII, the Children's Aids Network Designed for Interfaith Involvement.
CANDII has been a part of ``A Very Special Halloween'' since the first one in 1994. Using black sheets and stacks of cardboard, the organization erects a ``spook tent'' each year, filled with witchy voices and slimy things to feel.
More than 1,000 children, almost all in costume, attended the event last year. In fact, so many families showed up that a push-cart vendor ran out of food.
``I remember last year just walking around and seeing all the kids' faces and people having so much fun,'' Coleman-Smith said. ``There were people who were just downtown at that time who came inside. . . . It was a really great event.''
Sharon H. Warren, principal of DAC Center, a special education school for preschoolers, says the event continues to grow each year.
``One of the things we've worked on from the very beginning has been to expand the number of organizations participating because, as you can guess, that garage is huge,'' said Warren, a member of the steering committee.
The committee is preparing for a crowd of 2,000 this year, she said. Children and adults are encouraged to come in costume. Each child will receive a trick-or-treat bag to carry from one activity to the next.
``At a lot of the stations, there's either a game to play or something to make,'' Warren said. ``And if it's a station where you actually make something and you're leaving with it, there's no additional treats.
``But if it's a game station, then you also collect something like candy, stickers or things like spider rings. So you get to trick or treat at each station as you go through them.''
In addition to the treats, Ports Events will set up a concession stand selling hot dogs, popcorn, cookies, soft drinks and lemonade.
Special guests include Little Miss Portsmouth, the Virginia Children's Chorus, Bobby the Clown, DARE Bear, Sparky the Fire Dog, the Mounted Patrol and guitarist Mary Ann Welch.
Each of these organizations will sponsor an activity at ``A Very Special Halloween'':
Armed Services YMCA - Pumpkin float.
CANDII Children's AIDS Network - Spook tent.
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Elizabeth River Circle - Pumpkin puppets.
Children's Museum of Virginia - Trick or treat bags.
The Easter Seal Society - Bean bag toss.
Edmarc Hospice for Children - Witch toss, marshmallow bob.
Mayor's Committee for Persons with Disabilities - Face painting.
Portsmouth Parks and Recreation - Haystack hunt.
DAC Center - Pin-the-nose on the pumpkin, bowling, fishing.
Portsmouth YMCA - Coloring and clowning.
Tidewater Down Syndrome Association - Toilet paper toss.
United Methodist Family Services - Lollipop ghosts.
Virginia Association of the Blind & Visually Impaired - Sand bucket treasures.
Virginia Zoo docents - Dinosaur tracks. MEMO: For more information, call Ports Events at 393-9933. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Children and adults had fun at the special party for kids last year.
ON THE COVER
A fearless dalmation joins a jack-o-lantern in the window of
Shawnea Landis' apartment on Court Street in the photo by staff
photographer Mark Mitchell. by CNB