Hundreds attend village's annual Halloween in the Hollow

Wearing a Madeline costume and clutching a Madeline doll, Nikki Schmidling, 7, held onto her yellow hat, its long black ribbon flapping in the wind Saturday afternoon at Sabatino Park in Sleepy Hollow.

Nikki was among dozens of children who participated in the costume parade at the annual “Halloween in the Hollow” organized by the Sleepy Hollow Service Club.

Every year for Halloween, Nikki and her father dress up in matching costumes, Nikki explained — Spiderman and Brick Wall, Princess Leia and Chewbacca, Dorothy and Lion, Flower and Bumblebee, and Joe and Blue from the children's TV show “Blue's Clues.”

This year, Christian Schmidling was going to be Lord Cucuface. “I'm not too happy about the name,” the Sleepy Hollow resident said.

Also vying for one of the costume prizes was Snow Princess Bethany Simpson, 8, whose aunt Ronda Feller lives in Sleepy Hollow. Franz and Margitta Stark of Sleepy Hollow came with their daughter Jennifer Ledford of Lake in the Hills and their granddaughters Layli Charneske, 19 months, and Anieka Charneske, who last year won in the preschool category.

Hundreds attend the annual event, which features hay rides and pumpkin decorating for children, a chili contest with delicacies such as “Goblin It Up,” “Deranged Brew” and “Diabolical Debacle,” and a pie contest for those without iron stomachs.

Randy's Vegetables in Sleepy Hollow donated 110 pumpkins, said Service Club co-president Darren Knapp. A past club member donated about a dozen mock gravestones with inscriptions like “My Conscience” and “Britney Spears' Career.”

Later, a huge bonfire and an appearance by the “headless horseman” were in store around dusk.

Hugo Rosales and his niece Maria Montenegro, both of Carpentersville, scored front-row seats for the bonfire schedule to take place later in the evening. Montenegro's three children, plus her sister and nephew, were also there.

“This is our first time here,” Montenegro said. “We heard about it from our friends in the Service Club. They invited us to enjoy the day with the kids.”

A native of Guatemala, Rosales said that back home bonfires take place on Dec. 7 for the traditional “Burning of the Devil.”