Yesterday the Recycling Committee and Preservation Hall 
held Wellfleet’s First Annual Costume Exchange in the basement of Prez. Hall. I was warmly greeted by RC Chair Lydia Vivante and RC member Tracey Hunt, mother of two young children who paced nervously, not sure what the turn-out might be. She need not have worried. At 2:30 sharp, Wellfleet moms materialized, with eager kids in tow. I immediately spotted a small accessory table
that would have pleased my granddaughter. Sure enough, no sooner had kids approached than two little girls and one boy began to play with the beaded necklaces, below right. Their moms were more interested in the disguises laid out on the stage, “clean and gently worn,” as specified by the RC swap flyer. 
In June, Prez. Hall held a very successful summer clothing swap, which provided the spark for this fun new event, conceived to make Halloween more affordable and to recycle used costumes. When I turned to go, a four-year-old girl swooped up to the stage to claim a witch’s hat.
“Am I bewitched, Mommy?” she asked. That’s the magic of masquerade as far as kids are concerned. Don a few scarfs and a mask and feel transformed. My mom wasn’t very imaginative when it came to Halloween. I usually wore a sheet, with two cut-out eyes, becoming Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Does your town organize a Halloween costume exchange yet? Do you plan to attend the fall clothing swap at Prez. Hall, which will take place next Thursday, from 5:30 to 7:30? What was your favorite Halloween costume when you were a child?
