I remember my first Halloween in Revelstoke. I was new to town, I didn’t really know anyone and I didn’t have a good costume, so I didn’t end up going out.
I remember my second Halloween in Revelstoke. I was back from a trip to Mexico and picked up a cheap Mexican wrestling mask while I was there. Needing something else to complete the costume, I threw on my ripped jeans, a jean jacket and called myself the forgotten Mexican wrestler known as the Canadian Tuxedo. It was half-assed, but I thought it was kind of funny.
Then I went to the Regent, where four people had full on Mexican wrestling costumes complete with capes, spandex and the works. The lesson – in Revelstoke, you can’t half-ass your costume.
This year I had a great idea for costume. Without giving it away, I will say it’s based on a recent Rob Buchanan cartoon. I just needed to put it together. I put out a call to some ladies and my friend Rachelle responded. We met at the Thrift Store to see what we could find.
The Thrift Store – aside from furnishing and clothing every ski bum in town, and then some – is a great source for costumes. It’s not the best, but it’s the best we’ve got. They put out their costume material early in the fall and watch as it goes. But really, all year round you can find what you need to pull something together.
I knew what I needed – a long black wig, some sort of rocker T-shirt, and, ideally, a jewel-encrusted leather jacket. And a snake. A big, long, threatening snake.
Turns out, I was wrong. I opened the door and it was staring right at me. Bright. Yellow. One. Piece.
It was a small and I’m usually a large, but it had to be tried. I stepped into it, tugged it around my jeans, crawled my arms through the sleeves, and tugged it up around my torso. It fit – barely – but I was wearing a lot of clothes and I’m sure if I ditch the jeans and wear a thinner sweater, I’m gold.
Next – finding the rest of the costume. After all, everyone in Revelstoke owns a garish one-piece that they bust out once a year for retro-ski day.
We looked through the bins. There was a Hawaiian mask of some sort. Too itchy and hard to see through, so back it goes. A really ugly monster mask. Also hard to see through, and I’m not sure how it works with the one-piece – am I the ski guide monster? A witches hat with green hair? Nope. A multi-coloured hat with viking horns? Possibly.
It kept going like this. Eventually I turned the tables onto Rachelle to find her a costume. She already had one, but she was game to look around. We browsed the women’s clothing racks – Mickey 2000 pyjamas, camisoles, ugly sweaters, nice sweaters, sweaters with shirts sewn inside them, jackets and so forth.
There was definitely potential. Now I just have to find the rest of mine