By Karen Hall

Editor

Cornersville was definitely the place to be the evening of Saturday, Oct. 26, as Halloween was celebrated in style in the park and surrounding streets.

"Halloween in the Park," always held on the Saturday before Halloween was started by the Town of Cornersville seven years ago, and then taken over by the Cornersville Lions Club as a community service project, explained Lions Club President Pam Murphree. She said the Baptist church asked if they could help, and the Methodist church has joined in, along with Bro. Rich of the In Christ Church. Fifteen or 16 members of the Leo Club from Cornersville High School also volunteered to help. ABC Daycare was showing videos of children who had been in its care, some of whom are now grown up with children of their own.

"It turned out to be a wonderful thing," Murphree said. "We celebrate with our community, young and old alike."

Estimates for the size of the crowd varied from 900 to 3,000, but there were certainly no parking places left near the center of town, and there was always a line at the ticket table.

"We'll have to turn people away at 8:30 (when the event ends)," said Murphree.

Each person paid $1 for participation in all the games and contests, plus unlimited trips around town on the hayride. The Lions Club concessions were very inexpensive, too.

And then there was the trick or treating. Bands of adults and children roamed the streets, where many of the houses were lavishly decorated, filling their treat buckets.

In addition to the costume contest, children could look for prizes in a haystack, show off their ability to scream, get nice and messy in the bubble-gum pie contest, and wrap a "mummy" in toilet paper. Contests ended with the cake walk, for which community members had contributed over 30 cakes. There were games, too, and children enjoyed the playground equipment in the middle of the park.

The weather was perfect: just cool enough to feel like fall, but warm enough so costumes didn't have to be covered up with sweaters and coats.

See page A3 for more pictures from Cornersville's Halloween in the Park.