What’s All the Hoopla?

“Boys and girls of every age,

Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see

This, our town of Halloween.”

The Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce, The Des Plaines History Center, the Des Plaines Public Library, and the Des Plaines Park District will host the annual Halloween Hoopla on Saturday, October 26. The spooktacular day begins with a costume parade for kids, in and around Metropolitan Square and on Miner Street, and a day of safe trick or treating at participating businesses in Des Plaines, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. The 2013 parade steps off at 10:00am from the center of Metropolitan Square, and is led by Jewels and Kiwi, Des Plaines’ two popular clowns. Children participating in the parade and wearing a costume will receive a special trick-or-treat bag and a prize. From 11:00am until 4:00pm, the History Center will present its annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration with a sugar skull-painting and decorating workshop. The workshop is recommended for children ages 5-12 with an adult; the cost for members is $2, non-members $4. No registration is required. Visitors can also view the History Center’s current display, Deco in Des Plaines: a collection of decked out fashions, accessories, appliances, posters, and packaging from the roaring 30s. Adjacent to the History Center at the Kinder House, the Des Plaines Park District will sponsor a “Create Your Own Tombstone” project and play Halloween games including a mummy wrap and a Candy Corn scavenger hunt. From 1:00-3:00pm at the Des Plaines Public Library, drop in to the second-floor Story Time Room and make a frightfully delightful Halloween bookmark.

For more information about the event, visit www.DPParks.org or call 847-391-5700.