Halloween comes early to Lombard

Halloween came to Lombard a couple of weeks early on Sunday with the annual Spooktacular Fall Festival in the village's downtown area.

Children dressed as superheroes, princesses and cute, furry animals trekked from business to business on Sunday, getting a head start on their trick-or-treating. Others tried to conquer the climbing wall or tame a bucking bull (actually, it was a padded saddle pulled to and fro by volunteers).

It was all part of the daylong festival designed to shine a positive light on downtown Lombard. The event was presented by the Lombard Town Centre community organization.

“I hope the rain this morning doesn't scare people away, because it's good to come out to community events like this,” said resident Sondra Callahan as she arrived shortly after noon.

Callahan's 5-year-old son, Gene, walked beside her, looking powerful in his Spider-Man costume.

“And I know my son will love it,” she added.

Karen and Miles Kehoe brought their twin 4-year-old daughters, Taylor and Eliza, to the fest. Both wore costumes inspired by some of the more colorful members of the insect world; Taylor was a ladybug and Eliza was a butterfly.

“They've been begging to wear these costumes since we got them a week ago,” Karen Kehoe said. “There was no way we could pass this opportunity up.”

Karen said she and her husband did establish clear rules about the trick-or-treating, though.

“They'll be getting an insane amount of candy on Halloween weekend, so we said they can only go to a couple places today, as a treat,” she said. “We'll see if we're able to stick to that.”