Prepare For The Haunting

SEBRING - With sacks full of candy, fairies, mummies, witches and pirates made their way around the Circle on Friday morning during the annual Harvest of Treats.

More festivities continue tonight as trick-or-treating starts in all three municipalities.

Taylor Simmons was decked out red from head to toe with a purple boa and a trademark red hat with purple accessories. At age 2, she's just a little younger than the average Red Hatter.

"It's the perfect costume because she can wear everything again," said her mother Jennifer Simmons.

Malachi Larson, 3, chose a pirate costume, complete with a wig with long, scraggly hair and hook.

"He thought he wanted to be Bob the Builder, but then he saw this costume and decided he had to be a pirate," said his mother Karen Larson. "He loves pirates."

Malachi fit right in at American Service Title and Escrow, where Teresa Naugle transformed the office into a pirate ship, with canons that fired fake smoke and lots of treasures.

"We love watching the kids come in and see the decorations," said Naugle, supervisor of the office.

They picked the theme because of this year's "Pirates of Penzance" play at Highlands Little Theatre, which will be directed by Jim McCollum, who owns the company.

Naugle said they had about 300 trick-or-treaters last year and prepared for twice that many this year.

Dianne Brewington, of Dianne's Children Consignment, didn't know how many to expect and had to go to the store to buy more candy, dressed in her Raggedy Anne costume.

"I felt so ridiculous going out in public like this," said Brewington, who wore a handmade wig of red yarn with the costume. "Everyone was looking at me thinking I must be crazy."

Tracy Rademaker passed out candy in front of Brenner's Pottery and Craft Gallery, which was decorated with spider webs and lights, and said she enjoyed watching the little kids.

"This is great, especially for the little ones," Rademaker said. "It's a lot safer because you don't have to worry about the older kids running them over."

Her favorite trick-or-treater was dressed as a Lego.

"It was the most inventive costume I have seen," Rademaker said. "It was so adorable."