THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 1996 TAG: 9610290136
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BARBARA J. WOERNER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: 68 lines
Last weekend found several community parks inhabited in broad daylight by witches, ghosts, vampires and other ghoulish creatures of the night as local residents and civic associations got in the Halloween spirit.
Lake Meadows Park was the gathering point Saturday for the sixth annual Halloween Walk sponsored by Pembroke Meadows Shores and Townhouses Civic League. Costumed children and adults walked a neighborhood route accompanied by the Independence Middle School Marching Eagles Band.
At the completion of the walk, participants gathered back at the park for games including hot potato, ring toss and peanut races.
Apple cider and doughnuts were gobbled up by the small princesses, lions, dragons and other costumed characters. Costume judging took place with winners receiving a free movie pass.
The walk, now a neighborhood tradition, was started six years ago by Loretta Watkins. Currently, Belinda Nash, civic league president, is the event organizer.
``This is something we do for the kids and they just love it,'' said Gerry Richter, a volunteer. ``We sponsor this for the benefit of our families. Everybody pitches in and donates; it's definitely a family thing.''
Great Neck Meadows Neighborhood Park was the scene of the 10th annual Great Neck Meadows Halloween Parade and Party. Small dragons, princesses, cows, turtles, parrots and other costumed characters gathered under the bright sunlight Sunday to parade around the neighborhood before beginning the games and costume judging.
The decade-long event is organized every year by neighborhood resident Cathy Murray, who came dressed as a clown complete with multi-colored hair and eyelashes. For the past two years, Susan Mulligan has helped Murray with the event.
``When I first moved here, I saw kids in costume passing the house,'' said Mulligan. ``I found out that this is just one of the different holiday activities that Cathy does for the kids here.''
Murray's involvement with her own children was the basic reason she started planning activities. ``This is something fun for the kids,'' she said. ``It's an opportunity for the neighbors to get together and have a good time.''
Refreshments consisted of a variety of baked goods and juices donated by Great Neck Meadows residents. Winners of the five costume categories received a pumpkin and every child participating received a bag full of Halloween treats.
Across town in Fairfield Forest, the civic league had a similar idea and also hosted a Halloween party and parade Sunday. The neighborhood park decorations were supplied by civic league members and many of the costumed participants brought jack o' lanterns. Kim Fortin, Jackie Hassell, Nancy Smith, and Cheryl Possanza planned the event.
After the parade, children feasted on doughnuts, Halloween-decorated cookies and orange punch served over ice cubes that each held a small toy spider frozen inside. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by BARBARA WOERNER
ABOVE: Beware of witches carrying peanuts. Nicki Byram, Carissa
Gray, Amber Nash and Nicki Obriant were in the peanut race at
Pembroke Meadows' Halloween party.
LEFT: Susan Mulligan, one of the organizers of the Great Neck
Meadows Halloween party, walks the neighborhood parade route with
her husband, Bill, and son Timothy, 3.
A prize-winning jack o' lantern decorates the grounds at the
Fairfield Forest Halloween party. by CNB