Bloomingdale Halloween events draw nice crowd

Five-year-old William Quinn looked a little uncomfortable sitting in a Bloomingdale police car on Saturday.

But then he activated the siren.

“That was so cool, William!” said Eleanor Quinn of Bloomingdale, as her son laughed in the car.

A steady stream of children got to play police officer Saturday during an open house held as part of a larger Halloween celebration at Bloomingdale's municipal complex.

Both the police and fire departments held open houses Saturday afternoon, inviting families to tour their facilities, play some games and learn more about what the departments do.

At the same time, the village and the Bloomingdale Public Library held a Halloween party, complete with face painting, a hay maze and other activities.

The sunny and comfortable weather brought people out in droves. Lines formed outside the Halloween party tent and the police station. Children and quite a few parents came dressed in their Halloween costumes.

“This is a phenomenal turnout,” said Deputy Fire Chief Mike McNamara. “It's great to see all these people.”

Tim Jarzemsky, director of the Bloomingdale Public Library, estimated that 600 people would walk through the Halloween party tent by the end of the day.

“This has definitely exceeded our expectations,” he said, as little cowboys, princesses and superheroes waited in line. “The weather is a big help.”

Stacy Frazella of Glendale Heights brought her 4-year-old son, Jason, to the Halloween party. Jason was dressed as a “Star Wars” Clone Trooper.

“He's wanted to wear this costume 24 hours a day since we got it,” she said. “This was a great chance to put it on and have some Halloween fun before the actual day.”