When I Was A Princess

Halloween On The North Fork Simply Cannot Be Beat

By Phyllis Lombardi

Once upon a time, I was a princess. I lived in a land west of the North Fork. Indeed, I'd never heard of the North Fork. My kingdom was simply the Long Island street I lived on as a grade-school kid.

I admit to being a princess for just one day. I wore a long green satin skirt and a pink satin blouse of some kind. I remember it had pearl buttons, quite appropriate for a princess, I thought. Both the skirt and blouse were specially made for me by my best friend's mother. Then? I thought I looked pretty wonderful. Now? Well, I know my granddaughter certainly wouldn't wear that outfit.

Why did I wear it? For a Halloween party, of course. We ducked for apples and played records on an old RCA Victrola. I recall no trick or treating. But I do remember tying a string to a neighbor's door knocker and banging away.

Years later, on the North Fork, I've learned a lot. Apples, for instance. When I was a kid, apples came red or green. The green were for applesauce, according to my mother. The ones we ducked for were red. And we brought the red ones to school in our lunchboxes.

Now I know there are dozens of different kinds of apples - in so many shades of gold, green, red, and with so many friendly names.

I'd like you to meet another friendly North Fork name. Wendy Dolan. This Southold resident tells of a Halloween costume made just for her. As a child, Wendy might have wished for a nurse's costume - she's now a visiting nurse on the North Fork - but instead her mother whipped up a witch costume. Black yarn-hair was stapled to the witch hat. Wendy wore a long black gown and mom added some finishing touches. Wendy's face was painted green and a big black wart was glued to one side of Wendy's cute little 5-year-old nose.

If we have a nurse, we need a doctor, right? Well, Cutchogue's Dr. Lawrence Kelly admits to wearing superman costumes when he was a kid. Later on, he turned terrifying. One Halloween, when he was in his twenties, he decked himself out in A Clockwork Orange getup, eyeballs and all. If you've seen the film, you know what that means!

Just last year, Dr. Kelly went to a Halloween party wearing a striped prison-garb costume. As a sweet touch he printed the words Prisoner of Love on the costume. Dr. Kelly's wife, Sherry, shakes her head in disbelief at that.

Another thing I learned? You don't need a mom to make a costume (although that's best, isn't it?). Why, from Tanger in Riverhead to the smallest store in Orient, the North Fork provides costumes to delight everyone - from the tiniest trickster to a grandpa goblin.

Check out Ye Olde Party Shoppe on Main Road in Southold. You'll have no trouble finding it. It's the store with the big black inflatable tunnel leading to the front door. Complete with scary sound effects.

Inside, manager Heather Armstrong, from Orient, can help you find a perfect costume. They've got hundreds of 'em.

Heather will tell you this is the shop's thirteenth season and, as always, the most popular sellers for infants are the furry animal costumes. "You just slide the kid in," said Heather, put the youngster in a stroller and off you go trick or treating.

Teens and customers in their twenties want costumes as "gory as possible," said Heather. Guess our pal Dr. Kelly fell into that group a few years back.

Older people? Heather says they're traditional - pirates, ghosts, and scarecrows are in demand.

Most of the store's costumes are displayed in a basement room. Getting there is half the horror. Along the way I met skeletons, giant spiders, mummies, skulls, shrunken heads and gravestones.

I'll tell you this. It was awfully good to get back out on Main Road on a sunny weekday afternoon. I should have asked Heather how she stays so calm - working in such a scary place.

I guess all this costume stuff is fun, especially for kids. But when you think about it, North Forkers are pretty much the same, no matter what we're wearing. Just wait long enough and life's tricks will be thrown our way, Halloween or not. As for treats? Perhaps that's our life's work - to give away our gifts freely and in joy.

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