By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
As the old television show says, kids say the darndest things. Some 10 years ago, a local third grader was upset that some of her classmates could not afford Halloween costumes. She wanted to donate her old outfits. Her mother approached the school, and when they could not help, she reached out to the late Bill McKown with the Kiwanis Club of Great Bend. He reached out to Club Secretary Barb Esfeld and the Kiwanis Costume Drive, which returns Saturday in Great Bend, was born. Esfeld has been involved ever since.
"The first year, I just remember little kids that had nothing coming up there," she said. "We'd put a little princess dress on them and they wouldn't want to take it off. They'd just light up. We've had people from all walks of life show up."
Gently used or new costumes may be dropped off at the Great Bend Public Library throughout the year. As Halloween approaches, Kiwanis members clean up the costumes and get them ready for distribution. They also buy brand-new costumes after they go on clearance. Esfeld said there will be approximately 300 costumes to choose from.
"The hard part is when everybody wants to be the same thing," she said. "We have a lot of accessories, too, we buy so we can help people make a costume if they need to."
This year's costume drive will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 21 on the lawn at the Great Bend Public Library. Costumes will be laid out by size so residents can easily find a costume that suits their needs.