HighBall Halloween was the Halloween event that Columbus didn’t know it was waiting for. The crowds turned out in force and in amazing costume! Thanks to everyone who’s help made this such a success — we couldn’t have done it without ANY of you!

We’ll have more details to come but meanwhile enjoy this slideshow from gilesclement of SoloPhotography from his pics on flickr!

My name is Dawn and I’ve been blogging these intros. I’m a freelance writer (with clips in  Utne, Wondertime, Salon and Bitch: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture) who has a one-woman marketing biz called Open Book Strategies. That’s how I met John. My colleague, Chris Shirer, brought me on board to help John understand the wonders of blogging. One day as we sat discussing tags, categories and other WordPress excitement John said, “Hey, you want to help us put together one hell of a Halloween party?” So I’ve been helping with our web 2.0 marketing including blogging the intros and twittering @HighballHallown. Tonight I’ll be helping staff the beer tents and lending a hand to the tear down. I’m thrilled to have had an inside view on what’s going to be the most exciting event of the year!

What’s your favorite kind of Halloween candy?

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, hands down. The kids know to just hand ‘em over.

Least favorite Halloween candy?

Raisins. Because I never bought into that “they’re nature’s candy” line.

What was your best ever Halloween costume?

The Raggedy Ann costume my mom made me when I was 9. It was impressive.

Which celebrity costume do you hope you DON’T see this year?

I can’t think of one, as long as it’s clever.

What part of the HighBall are you most excited about and why?

I’m excited to see the creativity of the crowds and of the designers. I can’t wait to see the live musicians because I hear they’re swell. And I’m looking forward to checking out the pics on flickr tomorrow!

We’re Angela and Cara with re*dress, your personal shoppers and wardrobe consultants in Columbus, Ohio.  We’ll shop for you for any occasion, or if the economy has you feeling down, we’ll help you clean-up your closet and make it feel new again without stepping foot in a store.  Check out our website at www.redresscolumbus.com.

This week we’ve taken on another challenge - we’re helping coordinate the runway show for HighBall Halloween.  Although we’ve both been involved in the retail industry for years and have attended many runway shows, actually coordinating one is a new experience for us!  And believe us, there is a LOT to coordinate.  After our initial meeting, we hit the ground running: we contacted Dan to discuss the backdrop screen for the runway show (should we project designer names? or images?), we’re in touch with DJ Moxy to discuss the music for the show, and we’re talking to Ryan to find out what designers are committed to the show and how many looks they have going down the runway.  We’re working with the Phia Salon to coordinate times for the models and designers to come in and create hair styles for the models. And don’t forget the make-up!  50 models, 12 designers, 8 hair stylists, 8 make-up artists, countless AV and tech helpers, a DJ and an emcee put on a show that looks effortless and can rival the shows at Fashion Week.  See you on tomorrow!

Anyone can tell you, arranging a glamorous event is anything but glamorous. There’s a lot of drudge work that has to happen — permits to get, beer truck arrangements to be made, figuring out who’s going to pick up all the trash — it’s a thankless job. Sure, people will remember the amazing costumes; they’ll reminisce about their first sip of a Halloween HighBall (the official drink of HighBall); they’ll flash pictures to prove they were there. But do you think partygoers stop to pay tribute to the behind-the-scenes work? No, not if you did your job right. When things go seamlessly well, it’s due to the invisible but vital work of folks like Candice Watkins. She makes amazing events happen for the Hot Times Community Arts & Music Festival, ComFest and The Ohioana Book Festival. We’re damn lucky to have her on HighBall.

What’s your favorite kind of Halloween candy?

Candy Corn

Least favorite Halloween candy?

Candy Corn. I eat way too much of it sending it from a favorite to not a favorite in short order!

What was your best ever Halloween costume?

The blue moon sequined outfit with a beautiful mask.

Which celebrity costume do you hope you DON’T see this year?

Britney.

What part of the HighBall are you most excited about and why?

The whole thing is a unique and unusual experience for us all. I look forward to the whole thing going smoothly!

We know many of you are most excited about the Costume Couture Fashion Showdown — and well you should! This is what’s going to set  our Columbus Halloween celebration apart from all other cities’ celebrations. As you know Columbus is one of THE most creative cities around — don’t let our football reputation fool you! As proof, we had two designers on this season’s round of Project Runway and both Kelli and Terri have agreed to be part of the show. Here’s some of Kelli’s advice about making YOUR Halloween costume memorable!

When choosing a costume for Halloween, I usually try to incorporate my natural design aesthetic into the idea. In my case, the costume ends up looking, “pretty ugly.” Just think— ”vintage doll meets psychotic lunatic!”

Although “pretty” is key, I strive to avoid “sexy”. Being scary is what Halloween is all about, and I LOVE applying the over the top makeup!

Last year, I was interested in painting myself, as well as creating a unique costume that both my boyfriend and I could be a part of.

My initial plan, as always, was to think of something that was pretty, but was also “mean.” My boyfriend was interested in being a witch doctor, so immediately I thought, “VOODOO DOLL!!!!”

Once the idea is in place, there is no stopping me. I started by buying burlap and whipping up a dress. Then I  ripped apart a grass skirt and made straw for the tulle underneath the skirt. The most difficult part was getting the pins to stick in my neck! I did some research, and discovered that I could layer latex and shove the straight pins in BEFORE I glued it to my neck……that REALLY made the outfit complete.

My suggestions for creating YOUR Halloween costume is to find out what kind of image that you want to present. Do you want to be Sexy? Scary? Funny? Next, try and find one key “shock element” that will scream your idea, and you can easily build from there.

If you’re somewhere around Grandview and have the urge for some truly decadant, truly fabulous ice cream (and c’mon, that must happen at least once a week, right?) then you must of course head to Jeni’s on Grandview Avenue (and if you’re somewhere else, don’t worry because they have stores all over town now). Whether you need to feed your spicy chocolate cravings with Queen City Cayenne or would rather something light and autumnal like Riesling Poached Pear Sorbet, Jeni’s has your number. They also have Hannah Adkins, who runs the Grandview Store. When she’s not making sure her customers’ every ice cream wish is being met, she’s helping out with HighBall. If you’re looking to volunteer (and our need for you, dear volunteers, is great!) she’ll help figure out where you’re going to go and what you’re going to do. She also, as you can see, makes one hell of a Pinocchio. (You’ll have to come to HighBall to see what’s she got up her costume sleeve this year!)

What’s your favorite kind of Halloween candy?

Candy corn mixed with salty peanuts

Least favorite Halloween candy?

Necco wafers

What was your best ever Halloween costume?

Pinocchio, last year

Which celebrity costume do you hope you DON’T see this year?

I love all celebrity costumes…i don’t want to see another french maid or sexy kitty.

What part of the HighBall are you most excited about and why?

The costumes! It’s fun to be someone else for a night.

A tie between Moby and skinny Chris Elliot

John D’Angelo [sic]

Costume Couture Fashion Show

Check her out!

Without Morgan, who works for the SNBA, this whole HighBall shindig would be much more of an uphill battle. Her organizational help at the meetings takes a great big enormous load of of everyone especially because she’s taken on the enormous task of managing the volunteers along with set-up and tear down. Speaking of volunteers, head on over to our HighBall volunteer sign-up sheet and go ahead and pick out something fun to do. Morgan will get your submission and follow up with you. Not only will you win our deepest gratitude, you’ll get to say that you were in on what’s destined to be a Columbus legend from the very beginning. Those bragging rights are priceless!!

My first costume was a tiger. I was so ferocious that I scared myself. When I saw my reflection, I burst out in tears.

I better not see Cloris Leachman, Tyra Banks, Hannah Montana, Bret Michaels, or the Cloverfield Monster.

Howloween will be cute, but I’m amped about the couture fashion showdown with Terri Stevens and Kelli Martin.

No, Macey would eat her costume before she’d wear it.

Being co-owner of the Surly Girl Saloon along with fellow Surly Girls, Liz Lessner and Marcy Mays, Carmen Owens (she’s on the far right there, sneering behind a skull) knows it takes teamwork to make great things happen. That’s why she’s co-chairing the HighBall with an emphasis on the all-important food and drink aspect. That makes sense, too, since Surly Girl Saloon is known for their fantastic comfort food with a twist (and their Western-style but more decor).

What’s your favorite kind of Halloween candy?

Anything involving chocolate

Least favorite Halloween candy?

Anything that tastes like anise

What was your best ever Halloween costume?

Medusa, but this year’s is going to be pretty darn good

Which celebrity costume do you hope you DON’T see this year?

Palin…..ugh.

What part of the HighBall are you most excited about and why?

Seeing how everything comes together in our first year

If you have a pet, do you dress it up for Halloween?

No, but my one-eyed cat already looks like a pirate and my fattest cat looks like an ottoman