Who Are You?

Halloween, one of the best fantasy days we celebrate with all ages, is here. Many folks begin making their costumes or thinking about what they want to be at about this time of year. Time goes so fast, especially if you are making your own costume. And the Day of the Dead is a chance to connect with the spirit world when the veils are thin. There are so many characters we can choose from in history, in fairy tales, movies, books—about becoming a persona you have always dreamed of for one whole day and go full-out with it. Your favorite costume could be when you were a kid in a school play or in a parade or at a party, or something you saw on TV or at the movies that inspired you to dress and act as that persona. Why, when, and where did you choose to reenact this character or thing?

Dawn
I always wanted to be the good witch Glenda in The Wizard of Oz. She was a persona I worked towards. The fairy godmother, Glenda… I wanted to be her because of that huge, fairy queen dress she wore, and I liked her voice. She was kind, and whenever she appeared it was a relief to see her. She encouraged you to find your own way, but would help when needed.

Margaret
Every summer on Nantucket Island this tennis club called “the casino” in Sconset had a costume contest for kids. It had a stage and a curtain and a dress-up room. I remember one year my sisters and I dressed up as Juicy Fruit gum. We had a posterboard outfit that was attached with straps. Each sister was a different flavor. I was the cherry-flavored one. It was a big deal and it was so fun. We paraded our costumes on stage in front of everyone. It was festive and exciting, especially if you won a prize. I was six years old. It was Halloween in July!

Jennifer
The last time I was in costume was at Burning Man. I dressed up like a hippie: wild pants, purple boots, pink hair, mermaid top, leopard jacket and ski goggles on my head. I felt outrageous. People wore nutty, wacky clothes. I wanted to be in the “groove” with everyone there. Even my husband dressed up in a skinny tie-dye top and Liberace shorts. Having the freedom to dress however you wanted to was a lot of fun. Anything goes… I usually don’t dress up. No costume parties for me. This was an opportunity to dress up when, I hadn’t before.

Alice
“Go ask Alice,” remember that song? The character I love is Alice in Wonderland. I vividly remember dressing up like her. I even found a tree with a hole in it and tried going in it and it was pretty cool. Lost in a world of madness. At about age eight I had read the book and seen the movie. I related to Alice and I took it on. Lately, in the last few years I have dressed up like her to wander and wonder in the forest. I am known as her persona now.

Jim
“When I was in Leadville, Colorado in 1982, I worked at a mine called Climax Molybdenum. I was asked to join a wild west theater troupe. I portrayed Marshal Cimmaron. I was officially named Marshal Cimmaron by the judge in the theater group at a rodeo in Shane, Wyoming. We made all our own costumes and built our props. Later on I became an actor: Marshal Cimmaron and the Bittercreek Gang. I started directing the show and got the actors, the introverts to open up. They were able to see a better side of themselves acting in front of an audience. We were in a lot of different shows and parades.

Conradical
I was invited to a Halloween party a few years ago and couldn’t figure out what to wear. So I simply wore a MAGA hat that my daughter-in-law bought me as a joke. It was the easiest most perfect Halloween costume ever because it goes with everything from jeans to a suit. All one has to do is put on the hat and people assume you are a Trump supporter. Which is exactly what people at the party who didn’t know me assumed. That is until I started talking. I was disappointed that more people at the party didn’t get it without me having to explain it to them. But now the problem is, “How do I top that costume this year?”

Ashlee
My favorite costume was a fairy. I wore it to the Taos Inn. I was in my 20s. I have always been a fan of fantasy and sci-fiction. I created my own fairy not related to anything I read or see. No magic powers. I was a death fairy.