THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 5, 1995 TAG: 9510050615
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CAMMY SESSA, SPECIAL TO THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
JUST ASK SUZY Daffron about Halloween and she tells you, hands down, that it's one of her favorite celebrations.
``Growing up, it was such a kick anticipating that day,'' said Daffron, 34. ``I'd invent all sorts of things. I'd decide to be an angel and try to figure out a halo for my head or collect my mother's old beads to be a gypsy. We'd spend months planning our costumes.''
Daffron now uses her creative impulse to fashion costumes for kids living in The Haven Family Center, a shelter for homeless families in Ocean View.
``These are children who, through no fault of their own, do not have homes and perhaps would be left out of all the trick-or-treat fun,'' she explained. ``We don't want that to happen. They are a part of this community, and we welcome them.''
With the help of the Ocean View Merchants Association, Daffron will make costumes for young Haven residents so they can be all decked-out for The Great Ocean View Pumpkin Hunt, Oct. 28 from 3 to 5 p.m.
``That's when merchants will put pumpkins in their windows so the children will know where to go to fill their bags with trick-or-treat goodies,'' said Daffron, who manages an Ocean View condominium.
Later, the kids can head to The Great Pumpkin Patch Party, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ocean View Beach Park, where there will be entertainment and Halloween activities. All children ages 2 to 12 are invited to both events.
However, Daffron is adamant that those living in shelters also participate. ``It's important that the homeless be a part of a holiday and I like transforming each one into a character they want to convey,'' Daffron added. ``We all need a little make-believe at least once a year.''
So she creates fantasies, from animals to astronauts, from Mary Poppins to Cinderella, from rabbits to robots. But it's not easy. ``Because they come and go on a regular basis, we never know how many children will be in The Haven at any one time,'' Daffron said.
Not to worry. Members of the association as well as Daffron are armed for the last-minute task with face paints, boxes, wrapping paper, tape, old inner tubes and lots of makeup. They've even hired a stretch limousine to transport the children.
For this story, she asked children from The Hurrah Players to model some easy-to-make flights of fancy. Here are Daffron's ideas for parents and caretakers who want to create costumes and characters inexpensively:
1. Boxes.
Get a large box and cut out holes for head and arms. Voila! An instant outfit. Cover with gift wrap and ribbon; put a bow on head and the child's a gift. Cover with foil and there's a robot, cover with white tape and an American flag and be a space-walker. Use paints or crayons to create a picket fence for a girl or a privacy fence (a la Mr. Wilson on ``Home Improvement'') for a boy.
2. Balloons.
Pin inflated balloons on leotards or sweats and kids can be bubble bath, a bunch of grapes, a bubble-gum machine, a ballerina or a bag of oranges.
3. Animals.
A mop or lots of cut-up yarn attached to an old knitted cap can make a lion's mane. Fluffy cotton balls covering an old sweat suit might be a rabbit. Kidney-shaped patterns etched onto a T-shirt creates a cow, cat or pony.
4. Makeup.
Probably the most important aspect of creating an animal is using makeup or non-toxic washable face paints. Masks are difficult for some children to wear and painting faces is simple. Use children's books to copy likenesses of cats, raccoons, lions and other animals. Use makeup to make scars on pirates or bow-lips for flappers.
5. People.
Many characters come alive with old clothes and household items. A girl can dress as a gypsy with old jewelry and a colorful skirt or be a Colonial dame with an apron made of a patterned sheet and a hat from a lace-edged napkin. A boy can dress as a pirate or a hobo using eyeliner to make tiny dots for a beard.
Girls and boys can both be lifeguards by wearing bathing suits and inner tubes with whistles around their necks. The ideas are endless. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON/Staff color photos
Jade Williams, 5, of Virginia Beach wears a skirt her mother picked
up at a garage sale.
Stirling Grodner, left, 8, of Virginia Beach, is gift-wrapped for
Halloween, while Mark Gugler, 8, of Portsmouth dresses as a lion in
a costume his mother made.
Graphic
JUST THE FACTS
On Oct. 28, Ocean View merchants hand out goodies for The Great
Ocean View Pumpkin Hunt from 3 to 5 p.m. That will be followed by
The Great Pumpkin Patch Party from 5 to 8 p.m. at Ocean View Beach
Park. Both events are for children 2 to 12 years old. Call 441-2400
for information.
by CNB