Trick or Treat Street Brings Out The Costume Creativity

Erin Holbert’s no slacker when it comes to planning her kids’ Halloween costumes.

Her dedication to costume planning paid off for the second year in a row as the Holbert clan took home awards at Downtown Hendersonville’s Trick or Treat Street costume contest. Cameron Holbert won in the first and second grade category for his spot-on impersonation of Edward Scissorhands, while his sister Brooke, dressed as a peacock, won in the preschool and kindergarten category.

It was the Scissorhands costume that had the crowd gathered at the downtown gazebo applauding enthusiastically. His “Mini-Me” version of the popular Johnny Depp character consisted of a jet black outfit, belts, makeup, a wild hairdo, and homemade scissors on each hand.

Not content to just go down to Wal-Mart and buy a costume, Erin Holbert said she and her kids begin planning their Halloween costumes in the summer. The idea for Edward Scissorhands, she said, just came to her this year.

“It’s my favorite movie, and I love Johnny Depp,” she said. “He likes the movie, too. I started planning this in July, collecting the pieces and ordering them. This is my favorite holiday.”

Erin Holbert wasn’t the only Halloween fanatic on Main Street during Trick or Treat Street. The costumes on display showed that originality is alive and well in Hendersonville. One little boy came dressed as a box of crayons. Another little girl was decked out as current pop icon Katy Perry, complete with a bright blue wig. There were kids dressed as black widows, potted plants, and the Mario Brothers, and of course an army of Draculas, Frankensteins, Mummys and every other ghoulish creature you can think of.

The family award went to Amelia, Oliver and Ruby Huggins who were dressed as Barbie, Ken and Skipper, all of them still wrapped in their bright pink boxes.

Mom Hailey Huggins said the idea was hatched when Amelia said she wanted something stylish.

“We like doing creative things, and she said she wanted to do something pink and sparkly,” she said. “I told my husband what we wanted, and I said, ‘Make it.’”

Also winning an award was little Molly Burlett in the infant category. Her mom, Christie, transformed her baby carrier into a pot that held Molly dressed as a daisy. Her mother admitted the costume was created just as much for mom’s convenience as it was for cuteness.

“I tried to come up with something where I wouldn’t have to carry her around all night,” Christie said.

Another unique costume was the winner of the third grade and up category. Klairice Milanese also went the Barbie-in-a-box route, but her Barbie was in the form of Victoria from the Twilight movies.

There was also a wild card winner, which went to Rita Wightman of Hendersonville and her sister, Patty Stenderup, who is visiting from California. Both hammed it up and played to the crowd while dressed as an early 1900s Italian immigrant, his wife, and their “little pumpkin,” which was a doll baby with a pumpkin for a head. Their costume was certainly unique and different.

“I have a lot of vintage costumes, and she came over last night,” said Wightman. “We just kind of went nuts with it. Being a couple made more sense than just being two ladies.”

All of the winners won gift certificates to downtown businesses. After the costume contest and parade, there was dancing around the gazebo followed by trick or treating up and down Main Street.

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