Halloween - one of the only days of the year that full-grown adults can justify getting dressed up in a crazy outfit and going out for a night of fun and uninhibited candy eating.
Many students have probably made the transition from cute costumes and trick-or-treating to house parties and hard apple cider. But the one thing that has remained constant for Halloween is the costumes.
Some spend exorbitant amounts of money on their state-of-the-art costumes. Others sort through old drawers and Salvation Army discount bins. But regardless of where the costume comes from, many students at UB relish getting dressed up for Halloween.
"I'm going as Waldo from the 'Where's Waldo?' books. I was looking through my clothes a while back, and I saw a red-striped shirt in my drawer. I thought, 'What can I use this for?' After that, it was only a matter of finding fake glasses and a hat. It's the easiest costume that I've ever put together," said Mike Bruckner, a junior accounting major.
Although Bruckner had an easy time finding his costume, the search is not so easy for some students.
"I like a '50s-style poodle-skirt costume that I found, but I'm not sure if I'm going to wear it," said Rebecca Rubin, a junior communication major. "Once, I dressed up as a pumpkin, and I was also a devil one year. But this year, I wanted to be creative and go as something that won't be as common."
Steve Sandarelli, an employee of Party City at 1565 Niagara Falls Blvd., said that college students make up a large portion of the customers at Party City.
"More often than not, a group of (students) will come in and collectively put down a lot of money. These costumes usually come with everything you'd need, and people have been spending less money on extras and accessories," said Sandarelli.
Party City offers costumes from both ends of the financial spectrum. A flimsy plastic gold mask with a single elastic string can be purchased for $2.99 while the "gruesome creature" costume retails at $199.99. The costume comes complete with an oversized, detailed mask and a torn-up black robe.
According to Sandarelli, one of Party City's big Halloween hits have been a spoof of the "Scream" mask from Scary Movie and the Saturday Night Live "Spartan cheerleader" costume.
The costumes range from $20 to $200 a piece, depending on the costume. While the gold mask may be too little and the "gruesome creature" too much for most people, the students who do buy costumes try their best to find a middle ground that sates their Halloween desire but doesn't wipe out their wallets.
"I went to every costume store I could find around the UB area, and I eventually decided on a pharaoh costume. It was the full get-up for about $40 at a store in the Walden Galleria," said David Rutsky, a junior finance major. "Going all out for a costume is fine, but not if it costs too much money. There's no reason to blow a huge amount of cash on an outfit that you're only going to wear once a year."
Spencer Gifts, with a location in both the Walden Galleria and the Boulevard Mall, sells a variety of masks that allow head-to-toe coverage and a large selection of make-up and wigs.
"The most popular costume we sell is our "Department of Corrections" costume. It is a simple orange jumpsuit, and it is scary to think a prisoner is among us," said Josh Erich, an employee at Spencer Gifts.
Spencer's pre-packaged costumes include a Tempting Tigress, a charming Heidi-Ho, Austin Powers and a variety of variations on more common Halloween costumes, including devils and witches. According to Erich, all costumes will have a 50 percent discount just before Halloween.
Although a store-bought costume can be impressive, other students rely on what they can find for their Halloween get-ups.
"I wanted to be something that interests me, but I didn't want to have to spend a lot of money. I have scrubs and a stethoscope, so I figured it wouldn't cost me anything to get dressed up like a doctor," said Evan Shulman, a junior health and human services major.
"The best thing to do is make your own costume," said Zita Mckenna, a junior communication major. "It allows you to get in the spirit and be creative, and you can always make anything into something."
McKenna said she plans to dress up using the materials she has at home because it will not cost her anything, but she may seek accessories from the Salvation Army or another nearby thrift store.
One of those thrift stores - Amvets Thrift Store, located at 1833 Elmwood Ave. - stocks a large selection of vintage clothes and jewelry.
"The main things people buy are accessories like hats, shoes and ties," said Shawn Voit, the store manager at Amvets.
Voit has worked at the thrift store for 10 years and said October is his busiest month of the year. Customers usually go to Amvets to buy accessories for cross-dressing and retro costumes, according to Voit. The store offers bright necklaces, clip-on earrings and old prom dresses, all of which show the styles of many decades.
For the more creative types, fabric and trinkets are available at places like Joann etc., located at 1551 Niagara Falls Blvd., and Michael's Craft Store, located at 1261 Niagara Falls Blvd.
Fabric at Joann's runs for about $3 per yard on sale and $6 regular, while a basic fabric paint set costs $17.
"Look for me, I am going to be your angel," said Sabrina Kharouba, a junior political science major, who plans to buy fabric at the store and make her pristine costume with supplies from home.
Despite the available selection, some students say they're just not going to bother with a costume this year.
"I'm still not sure if I'm going to dress up for Halloween. It doesn't matter. I'm sure it'll be a good time Thursday night, regardless," said Jordan Rosen, a sophomore political science major.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
