Dress like the Queen City: 5 Charlotte-y Halloween costume ideas
Halloween is not my favorite holiday. People assume I love it because most of my wardrobe is made up of costumes instead of real person clothes. Or because I traipsed around an art show dressed as Andy Warhol two Halloweens ago.
Happy Halloween from Andy Warhol. #Halloween #coworkersconfused
A post shared by Joanne Spataro (@lookitsjoanne) on Oct 25, 2013 at 10:46am PDT
But between toddlers dressing as sexy cops and non-Native Americans dressing as Native Americans – or worse, toddlers dressing as sexy Native Americans when they are child non-Native Americans – I want to crawl into my hovel with a bag of fun size Snickers for the evening of Oct. 31.
What’s my only way of getting through this season? Making this wicked list of tongue-in-cheek costumes of local Charlotte favorites. If you decide to wear any one of my picks, you will relieve me of my current mood: That of a pumpkin rotting on a front porch.
(1) Joe Gillespie aka, Homer the Dragon for One Night.
When Gillespie was arrested for taking the Charlotte Knights’ mascot out for a wild night on the town, he gained an instant cult following here in the Queen City and beyond. Why can’t we dress as the real Gillespie for our own beer-fueled, dance-crazed evening?
Behind the scenes of the interview that changed Charlotte forever (@YouAlreadyJoe) pic.twitter.com/NsNkLXy0UE
— Ryan Pitkin (@pitkin_ryan) September 30, 2015
Get a black or gray T-shirt, some worn, light-rinse jeans and top it with a homemade Ombré mullet. Chop up and dye this one, which carries only a $15 price tag. You’ll be, as local Charlotte resident Sasha Trosch said on social media, the “Ombré Hombre.”
(2) Charlotte Mayor Dan Clodfelter.
You know what I’m getting at – that majestic ‘stache. It’s had its own Twitter account since 2011. This tamed thicket of hair cements his look as a human walrus, says a friend I can only describe as a raven-haired rogue with a heart of gold.
Get a suit, tie and spruce up this mustache I found on Amazon. You’ll be groomed and ready to smack down the Assembly for trying to take away the city’s autonomy. “Not today, Assembly, not today!”
Don’t worry, he won’t be shaving it off anytime soon.
“My wife has never seen me without it,” he said earlier this month about his mustache. “We’ve been married 41 years and I’m afraid of what would happen to our marriage if I shaved it off.”
(3) The City Lynx Streetcar #91.
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley, crash, crash, crash went said trolley into a stopped SUV a week after its debut.
Take a cardboard box and shape it into the notorious streetcar. Paint it yellow and green and don’t forget to write City Lynx on the side.
This getup will give you an excuse to hit (you’re welcome) on your crush over a bubbling cauldron of spiced apple cider at a Halloween party.
I'm ready to get on the inaugural #clt streetcar today! #judyjudyjudy #telecommvamping
A post shared by Joanne Spataro (@lookitsjoanne) on Jul 14, 2015 at 7:35am PDT
(4) Green’s Lunch Hot Dog.
The most famous dog in Charlotte since 1926. Get yourself a hot dog costume and carry around a bowl of their secret homemade chili.
A post shared by Joanne Spataro (@lookitsjoanne) on Sep 24, 2015 at 6:57pm PDT
(5) Zombie Luna’s Living Kitchen Staff Member.
Instead of brains, you’re after grains. Grains!
Grab a to-go smoothie and save the labeled glass. Fill it with legumes or stuff a piece of whole grain toast in there. Don’t forget to douse yourself in the blood of their sun-dried tomato sauce from their signature Lunasagna.
Nothing is scarier than veganism.
Avocado basil vegetables sandwich with beets
A post shared by Ray (@rayjavier326) on Sep 17, 2015 at 11:11am PDT
Photo: Charlotte Observer file
This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 10:30 PM with the headline "Dress like the Queen City: 5 Charlotte-y Halloween costume ideas."