Lots of shivers, smiles at Glen Ellyn Halloween activities

It was a suitably chilling Halloween morning in Glen Ellyn Saturday, but the throngs of costumed children enjoying the annual Halloween Festival downtown didn't seem too concerned about the weather.

Instead, all the little Elmos, princesses, pirates, Chicago Bears players and Power Rangers focused on acquiring as many sweets as they could from local merchants.

"For us it's cold. All he's thinking about is candy," said Ralph Ferguson of Wheaton, gesturing down at his 6-year-old grandson, Nathaniel, who was dressed as Spider-Man. "And why not? Halloween happens once a year."

The annual Glen Ellyn Halloween Festival was organized, as always, by the local chamber of commerce. The fun started with a Halloween costume parade, followed by downtown trick-or-treating.

Temperatures were shiver-inducing. Many children wore their costumes over several thick layers of clothes. Parents gripped cups of coffee.

Still, enthusiasm for the holiday burned as hot as ever.

"This turnout is amazing," said Georgia Koch, co-executive director of the Glen Ellyn chamber. "We didn't know what to expect today. But I guess when candy is involved, kids will make the best of it."

The Main Street parking lot served as a post trick-or-treating gathering place. David Schroeder, a Glen Ellyn resident for 40 years, gave the setting a festive vibe by playing his "kalliorgel," a mechanical wind instrument that sounds like a cross between a circus calliope and a pipe organ. Whenever he turned the wheel to make the music, children gathered around him.

"I designed this instrument about four years ago," said Schroeder, a retired engineer with IBM. "I just love the old-fashioned sound of it."

A few feet away, a princess and a ladybug excitedly discussed their morning candy hauls.

"It's going to be a long day," said a smiling Pam Robertson, the ladybug's Glen Ellyn mother. "At some point, we're going to have to get some real food into her!"