Gourdon Pumpkinhead in Cortland 2

I love Halloween. I have a set Halloween outfit I've devised over the years for when I go to the Pumpkinfest Parade in nearby Sycamore. Over the years I've refined and added to it, and this year I took it to new heights with the creation of my Gourdon mask.

I did a trial run of the outfit at the Cortland Fall Parade, and it went over wonderfully with the kids. Admittedly, I got into some clownish antics, including at one point sitting on the front bumper of the fire truck behind us while the parade was stopped by a train and leaping up in mock startlement when they blasted the horn at me. It wore me out and had me gasping for breath most of the way, but it was well worth it. I got quite a few waves, handshakes, high fives, and fist bumps. Gourdon Pumpkinhead will be making another showing at the Sycamore Pumpkin Parade without a doubt.

Incidentally, due to the uncertain weather I also carried a rainbow-colored umbrella for most of the parade, until it started to rain and I handed it off to my wife to use. It proved a rather fun prop to twirl about.

These three pictures were taken at the start of the parade, before the rain hit. After the parade we stopped off to get a few groceries and I wore the costume into the store rather than showcase my unruly hair that had been bound up out of sight, and got a lot of neat responses from the kids there, including the revelation from one of them that I was a real man!

Thanks to the weather, my costume was a bit bedraggled by the time I got home, but I've done some repair work on the pants patches, gloves, and hat and it should be even better for the 28th!