Need A Costume? Participate In This Year'S Eek-o-friendly Halloween Costume Swap!

There's an almost unbelievable fact posted on the National Costume Swap Day website at www.greenhalloween.org/CostumeSwap -- Each year, 6,250 tons of waste could be kept out of America's landfills if just half of kids' Halloween costumes were swapped instead of being thrown away. That's more than 12,500,000 pounds of Halloween costumery -- the equivalent of 2,500 midsized cars.

The Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center encourages parents and young Hallows' Eve revelers to partake in a local costume swap this year, scheduled as part of Spook-tacular Fun Day, not only to keep still-usable goods out of the local landfill, but also to save money on the purchase of another costume. The event, scheduled Saturday, October 19 from 10 a.m. to noon at Sycamore Mall in Iowa City, is being sponsored by the City of Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, Public Library, and Macaroni Kid Iowa City.

To participate, drop off your costumes (on a hanger, please) at the City office at East Side Recycling Center at 2401 Scott Blvd. SE on Friday, October 11 from 2 to 4 p.m., or the Iowa City Public Library Help Desk at 123 S. Linn Street from October 11 - 18 during regular business hours. Only gently used costumes, with no visible tears or stains and with all parts of the costume included, will be accepted. Costume donations for boys and girls, ages infant through teen, are needed. Once costumes have been entered into the swap, they cannot be returned.

When you drop off your donation, you'll receive a swap ticket which you may then use at the Macaroni Kid's booth at the Spook-tacular Fun Day for a new-to-you costume. One ticket is required per costume, and costumes are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We cannot guarantee that you'll find a costume in your child's size, or that you'll find one that you like, but reports from previous events indicate that nearly all participants have been pleased with the Halloween Costume Swap outcome. All leftover costumes will be donated to Costumes for Kids, a nonprofit organization located in the Corridor that distributes costumes to families that cannot afford them.

In addition to the costume swap, the Spook-tacular will offer plenty of family fun, including a bounce House, trick or treating, face painting, crafts, activities, and over 30 vendors. The event will double as a benefit for Systems Unlimited, Inc., a local non-profit that provides community support services for people with disabilities and other challenges. A costume walk has been scheduled for Systems' "Walk So We Can Ride" event to raise funds for a wheelchair-accessible van. More information is available at http://www.sui.org/index.html.

For additional information on Spook-tacular Fun Day, e-mail charlottel@macaronikid.comor visit http://iowacity.macaronikid.com/article/576546/spook-tacular-fun-day.