By Sally Gracie
OK, you guys, stop kvetching about losing Daylight Saving Time and enjoy the lovely mornings that “fall back” has given us.
Instead of staying in front of the TV (I was binge-watching five new episodes of “Gotham” — I’m learning all about Cat, Penguin, and the young Bruce Wayne), I pulled on some black clothes, topped it with an orange sweater, and set out to find the best Halloween costumes in Twisp. I carried a plastic crown in my bag. If anyone asked, I would say I was the Great Pumpkin Princess. Nobody asked.
First to the Eagles, where the Halloween party was combined with a fundraiser for the Twisp River firefighters. Admission was $10 and the auxiliary gals served a mean lasagna. A dozen or so fancy cakes and pies and several gift baskets were auctioned after dinner. The good men of the Eagles and the women’s Auxiliary will divide the $1,350 in proceeds by four and present checks to the three families who lost their firefighters and to the young man still struggling to heal from his injuries.
Jeff Newman’s blonde topper was optional. He has a great mustache.
Next, in my “official reporter” mode, I skipped paying the $5 at the door of the Twisp River Pub and walked around to take photos of the costumes. Members of the band, Shakedonia, were socializing at the bar. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and they were good sports about my picture taking. I left before the music started and it got really crowded.
All caught up with “Gotham” on Sunday evening, I returned to the pub for the TwispWorks Harvest dinner. A friend had told me that there was lots of food left over. There was a feast! And Joyce Studen, who was one of the chefs for the event, encouraged me to eat and then to carry out as well. There was so much beautiful food that I couldn’t begin to sample it all.
One suggestion: the kitchen at the pub needs to add the pork and tomato fajitas to its menu and maybe keep Joyce in the kitchen. The fundraiser for TwispWorks Foundation welcomed donations. I’m afraid that mine covered just the dinner that I enjoyed while sitting there. I have another carryout meal to eat tonight.
So here’s my summary: Halloween night at the pub was a success. Halloween at the Eagles, not so much. People were enjoying themselves, but there wasn’t much of a crowd, probably because parents were out trick-or-treating on Burgar Street with their kids. Sunday night’s fundraiser for TwispWorks certainly didn’t get the attendance it deserved. The food was incredible, but there was too much left over. Parents and kids were probably just coming down from Saturday’s sugar high and were sticking close to home. I don’t imagine the 9 p.m. Saturday performance at The Merc Playhouse drew a full house either.
Jocelyn Murray let me know about the Unitarians’ “Happy UU Litter Crew.” Collecting trash along a stretch of adopted highway is like trick-or-treating for candy on Burgar Street. The work crew must wear a bright yellow-and-orange costume so they won’t be hit by a car. Instead of filling a goodie bag with candy, they fill it with trash. If your group hasn’t adopted a highway, go to adoptahighway.net to find out how to do it.
