Costumes should be creative for least expense

There are six words at any large gathering that make some people antsy and others ambivalent. Apart, they make little sense. Together, they inspire some to do great things, and inspire me to do as hilariously little as possible.

Those words: There will be a costume contest.

The Toastmasters District 23 was set for this weekend in Amarillo. It was because of this conference I discovered Amarillo was also known as “The Yellow City.” From this grew the theme, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.”

Those five words led into the six I’ve warned you about. I’m guessing you’ve figured out the theme of the costume contest already.

In my experience, “bigger is better,” doesn’t work for costume contests. My favorite two costume contest stories from friends illustrate it:

• A college house party had a contest with a $200 prize. A guy shaved his head, drew tattoos on his arm and borrowed a county jail inmate clothing.

The costume was too convincing; cops busted the party, and thought they’d found an escapee. He told the cops his friends would vouch for him. They told the cops, “I’ve never seen this man before in my life, officer,” and held in their laughter just long enough to see him hauled off.

Once the cops got back to the station and found all prisoners were accounted for, they started laughing too, and were still laughing when two people who denied knowing him 45 minutes earlier came to pick him up at the station.

• A guy came to a party, and was stopped at the door. “Gotta have a costume to enter.” He had a box of trash bags in his truck cab, so he took one and cut out holes for his head and arms. “I’m an olive, let me in.”

Based on these stories, what direction should I choose? Hint: I’m not trying to get arrested.

If people enjoy making and/or buying elaborate costumes, more power to them. I find the enjoyment in doing the most creative thing with the least expense.

Nothing satisfied me more than when a friend took my advice and went as God’s gift to women. Supplies required: A bow and a gift tag.

So where to go with “Wizard of Oz” costumes? I decided to be the man behind the curtain, and it only got easier with each iteration. First, I was going to borrow a curtain. Instead, I borrowed an umbrella and duct-taped emerald green fabric to the top. Total investment: $5.48.

Did I win the costume contest? Not a chance. The Tin Man was great. The lady dressed as a tornado did well too. But I had my positive experience, and it got plenty of compliments and laughs.

Experience done, I’ve got six more words: Does anybody need emerald green fabric?

Kevin Wilson is managing editor of the Clovis office for the Eastern New Mexico News. He can be contacted at 575-763-3431, ext. 320, or by email: [email protected]