It began with the tree. Walking into Indigo, light and dark green streamers covered the canvas-wrapped tree, creating a magical world for anyone. Hosting a Where the Wild Things Are party was a shot in the dark. As most booksellers know, hosting events can be a huge success or a quiet turnout. We had hope that even a few children would come dressed in their Halloween costumes with excited smiles. Little did we know what the night had in store for us!
As the clock struck 7:00, painted faces and animal costumes trickled through the door. At first, there were just ten children and we were all able to participate in the craft. We were all thankful for that, thinking this is a great turnout! But after only a few minutes of making crowns and masks, I looked around and, to my amazement, children in costumes abounded!
Joan led the craft. Children and parents worked on masks and crowns that would later be used in the Wild Rumpus. Once the children crafted their masks and crowns, they ran to the magenta colored rug and I read aloud to them. And we roared our terrible roars and gnashed our terrible teeth when the book told the story of the wild things.
After storytime, the little monsters and fairies lined up at the front of the store and Kate led the Wild Rumpus! She marched them around with a crown on her head. The children followed her as they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and went trick-or-treating through Ivanna Cone and Paint Yourself Silly. Venturing out on the last wild rumpus, I absolutely admired the reactions of other patrons as we sailed through the building like Max on his boat. My emotions get the best of me when I think about how thankful I am to Paint Yourself Silly and Ivanna Cone for contributing to this event and their continual support of our store. It was beautiful to actually see the impact smaller businesses have on a community, whatever the size.
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