Boos and ghouls dressed for Spookfest on Saturday

First place individual went to Tripp Haynes the skunk.(Greene County Daily World/Shad Cox) [Order this photo]

The first place youngest award went to Sleeping Dragon Jake Rose, who is 3 months old. (Greene County Daily World/Shad Cox) [Order this photo]

Cradled in his dad Steven's arms, the 3-month-old, decked out in a shiny green dragon's scales, snoozed in his suit as judges awarded him the prize as his mom Laura looked on, smiling.

Rose was one of around 100 costumed characters who dressed in style for the Halloween night event at Linton's Humphreys Park, with an array of ghouls, goblins, zombies and superheroes roaming the night.

The McKee family won first place in the group category. (Greene County Daily World/Shad Cox)

With a full moon hanging in the still-blue eastern sky as a sunset turned the western sky appropriate Halloween colors of orange and black, the kids paraded across a stage.

Once there, they were greeted by co-emcees Fred Markle, dressed as a box of Tide, and Mike Roth as his counter-part, a basket of dirty clothes.

The duo introduced participants, trading wisecracks as Mayor Tom Jones and his wife Patti gave each child a goodie bag filled with treats.

Linton businessman Fred Markle also got into the Spookfest fun with his own entry. (Greene County Daily World/Shad Cox). [Order this photo]

"The thrill of victory? Or The agony of de feet," Roth kidded Ashtynn Glenn, 9, dressed as a guard but riding in a wheelchair pushed by her mom Stacee, dressed as a prisoner.

Glenn had sprained her ankle earlier in the day during a soccer game.

This year, over 200 pounds of candy were donated by area merchants, Markle said, a far cry from past years when kids sometimes received only a single candy bar.

The mayor praised area merchants for assisting so much with donations.

"This community shows us over and over again," he said. "It steps in to take care of its own."

As judges Jeff Thom, Tony Kluesner and Kathy Matthews tallied their votes, Markle and Roth boogied, fittingly, to "Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley, joined on stage by a few costumed participants.

"I don't get paid any extra for this, you know," joked Markle.

A costume's originality was key in winning, Matthews said.

Dressed up as a skunk, little 14-month-old Tripp Haynes knew the sweet smell of success, turning and raising his tail -- but not a stink -- as judges awarded him the top prize for individual costume while proud parents Bart Haynes and Trisha Bays watched.

Second-place finisher Peyton Bland, 8, was also sized up for individual honors, decked out in silver foil as a Craftsman 10-foot measuring tape, citing her mom Gretchen's idea as the inspiration.

Bland's also the daughter of Danny Bland, and her sister Piper, 7 months old, dressed up, too.

However, the top finisher in the best group of costumes, an array of characters from "Alice in Wonderland" by the McKee family, was even more of a family affair.

Abby McKee, 5, was Alice; her brother Ben, 6, was the White Rabbit; twin sisters Addisyn and Alyvia, both 3, were the March Hare and Mad Hatter, respectively; proud papa Kris, 29, was the King of Hearts card, and grandma Pam McKee was the Queen of Hearts.

Pam McKee sewed the costumes after Kris' wife Brandee McKee came up with the idea.

They weren't the only Wonderland-themed group, however. Connie and Steve Miller dressed as the Queen and King of Hearts, while their daughter Violet, only 14 months old, portrayed Alice, accompanied by cousin Logan Botsford, 10, as a card and his mom Carmen Botsford as the White Rabbit.

Their costume ideas came from little Violet's first birthday party about a month before, which featured a Wonderland theme.

Taking second place honors in the group division were a pair of pals from another Disney film, "Toy Story": Buzz Lightyear, portrayed by Lucas Brown, the son of Dannielle and Kevin Brown; and Woody, played by Cristopher Broker, the son of Diana Broker.

Both boys are 3 and love to play the characters all the time, Broker said.

Nearby were a pair of Poohs -- Winnie, that is: William Wood, 7 months old, and his (relatively) big brother Clifford Wood II, 3, assisted by parents Melissa and Clifford Wood.

Their mom is a major "Winnie the Pooh" fan, she explained, and so she's dressed her kids accordingly every Halloween.

Older sis Shaunacee Harris-Wood, 10, however, dressed to fit her own literary favorite: Twilight. Clad in pink, with glitter and matching pink fangs, she said she was "a gothic vampire."

"She loves 'Twilight'," her Mom said.

The trio's grandfather, Jim W. Frye of Linton, said Halloween's not just for the kids.

"I've always loved Halloween," he said. "When I was a kid, we had a ball for six weeks, from Oct. 1 until Nov. 15. Kids back then didn't have as much to do."