Halloween 2023

Costumes, contests, and candy were on everyone’s minds on October 31.  Halloween.  The day is very well observed & celebrated in Arctic Bay.  Who doesn’t want free candy?  As I mentioned before, I start thinking about Halloween as early as August.  My focus at that time is purchasing a costume from Spirit Halloween and candy for trick-or-treaters.  Better to have everything arrive well in advance instead of a day late. 

2013.

Spirit Halloween “is an American seasonal retailer that supplies Halloween decorations, costumes, props and accessories.”  I’ve been buying costumes from them since 2012 and they haven’t failed me yet.  I buy a new costume every year to keep things fresh, current, and surprising for students & staff at school.  If I stay here for many more years, I’ll have enough costumes to start a drama club.  I keep my old costumes for students & staff to wear in case they don’t have their own.

Skeleton King.

To mark/celebrate 10 years of living & teaching in Arctic Bay, I bought a costume similar to the one I got in 2013.  I played it safe back then because it was my first-year teaching in the community, and I wasn’t sure how invested the people were in the event.  (I quickly learned they were).  The costume was a black suit painted with white skeleton bones.  It also came with a black top hat and skeleton cane.  This year I bought the Skeleton King costume, complete with a crown, cape, and skeleton mask.  The mask is easy to wear, and you can see clearly through it.  This would be essential for the drum performance.  More on this coming up.

My Halloween candy.

The school’s Events Committee begins planning Halloween activities in early October.  There would be two contests: classroom door decoration and best costumes.  Classes were given the week before Halloween to decorate their doors.  There would be an afternoon assembly where my drummers would perform, followed by the costume contest.  The winners of both contests would be announced.  Students & teachers would then return to their classes to do Halloween themed activities.  School Administration agreed to purchase bags of candy for each class. 

The high school drumline’s first public concert is Halloween.  I’ve been training & practicing with them since August.  We prepared a short group performance featuring three cadences, followed by solos.  Solos are optional for students.  I always do one.  What’s great about performing at Halloween is that you can wear a mask & costume to hide stage fright.  I assured the drummers that if they kept going after making a mistake, the audience wouldn’t notice.

A high school classroom door.

Grade 7 door.

The classroom doors were judged by a panel of three on the morning of October 31.  Lunch was extended to 90 minutes to give students & staff time to get their costumes ready.  The extension also gave me time to borrow a vehicle and bring all my costumes from home to school.  I changed into my Skeleton King costume and left my previous outfits in my classroom.  I immediately went to the gym to set up the drums.  My drummers joined me a few minutes later.  Everything was ready to go by 1:30pm.  I quickly went to the washroom to wipe accumulated sweat inside my mask.

Grade 4 door.

Many students and teachers came to school in costume.  A few parents also came dressed up.  Some correctly guessed it was me underneath the Skeleton King mask.  It was easier for others when I was holding drumsticks.  Everyone made their way to the gym after an announcement was made.  The assembly began at 1:45pm.

The principal did a brief introduction and then called on the high school drumline to perform.  My drummers & I calmly entered the gym and took our positions behind our assigned drums.  I looked in both directions to make sure everyone was ready.  I looked forward and raised my sticks.  Two & half months of practice finally came down to this moment.  I clicked my sticks 4 times.  The music began.

Each cadence was just under a minute long.  That doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a beginning drumline, it can feel like an eternity.  Thankfully, I didn’t see anyone buckle under pressure.  We got through the 3 cadences.  Then two students & I each performed a solo.  And just like that, our 6-minute concert came to an end.  The audience gave us an extended applause as we all took a bow.  We made it.

The drums were moved back to make room for the costume contest.  Classes were called to walk around the gym to display their costumes.  A panel of three judges selected the best dressed student from each class.  Staff and parents also participated.  The lucky winners received Co-op gift cards.  The classes that won the door decorating contests were awarded pizza parties.

My drummers helped me move the instruments & equipment back to class after the assembly came to an end.  Those who borrowed costumes from me returned them before the bell rang for dismissal.

Everyone raced home to get ready for trick-or-treating.  A staff member gave me a lift so that I wouldn’t have to carry the large Rubbermaid container filled with my costumes.  I got the candy ready and changed into costume.  I sat and waited for the clock to strike 5pm.

Trick-or-treaters arrived in waves.  I was busy quite a few times, handing out 4 pieces of candy to each person.  I don’t discriminate.  I gave candy to kids, teenagers, parents, and adults.  Trick-or-treaters need to dress warm because the weather is cold at the end of October.  Thankfully, many get driven to houses, so they don’t have to walk far distances at night.  Trick-or-treating ended at 6:45pm.  There were many empty boxes lying on my floor.  I quickly changed out of my costume, grabbed my camera, and headed down to the community hall.  The community’s Ugliest Halloween Costume Contest was set to begin at 7pm.

I’ve been covering Arctic Bay’s Ugliest Halloween Costume Contest since 2013 and the participants never fail to impress.  They really put thought & effort into creating the wildest getups I’ve ever seen.  People have asked me if I would ever participate, and to be honest, I did consider a few times, but my tendency to favour structure and order would get in the way of the contest’s theme.  I suppose I could get around that with reverse psychology.  Only time will tell.

I wasn’t a judge this time.  Participants took their seats in front of the stage where numbers were taped to their backs.  Participants are divided into two groups: 12 & Under, and 13 & Over.  The audience was seated along the walls, leaving a large open space in the middle of the hall.  The 12 & Under group went first, walking around the middle of the hall while Halloween themed music played on loudspeakers.  The youngest participants were assisted by their parents.  The 13 & Over group went next.  (They didn’t need assistance from their parents).  The costumes on display were very creative & interesting.

The judges took several minutes to review & agree on their top three choices for both groups.  Participants were competing for cash prizes.  The top three 12 & Under participants were called up to the stage to receive their cash prizes and to reveal their identities to the audience.  Then the top three 13 & Over participants were called up to do the same.  Their cash prizes were significantly higher. 

The ceremony ended with a short candy toss.  Hamlet staff tossed candy into the crowd for people to claim.  I didn’t take any because I still had leftover candy at home.  Students & staff were hyper for several days after Halloween.