Not sure what to expect after getting an invite from Shannon McClure to attend the first Forsyth Park Costume Crawl on Sunday, October 30, I arrived to find elaborately clad costume characters in front of Savannah’s iconic park’s massive white bandshell. 

Welcoming us as the host is none other than the fabulous Travis Sawyer!  You may know him from his Creative Approach days or his latest venture into real estate sales with his Brand Name Real Estate team. I know him because he is my best friend Alan Skolweck’s partner. Almost mirror opposites of each other, Travis is uber social and energetic, while Alan is known to hibernate and hide away from humans.

Surprised to learn that Alan is braving the crowd of over a thousand Halloween lovers, I give them a hug before Travis runs back to the stage to host today’s festivities. Seated behind him are celebrity judges Renee LaSalle, LaTricia Brown, Madison Abernathy, JT Simmons, Moncello Stewart,  Clinton Edminster, Marvis Herring, Jamie Arkins, Vernon Donovan, and his mini-me son Landon.

After taking a happy group pic of the gregarious judges. I pause the wickedly talented Darryl E.Von Horne for a photo with Kristine Tillman then see Gene Harley sporting his best look yet! Thinking the Chatham County Police Department lieutenant should stay in his Rip Wheeler (from “Yellowstone”) costume permanently, I convince him to pose with girlfriend Brittany Dell Orco, dressed as Beth Dutton from the same show before chasing down one of my favorite villains, the Predator, or Beaufort resident Martin Jenkins.

Commending Jenkins on his perfect outfit, I start chatting with the Army military officer and full-time USCB student of veteran and business administration studies when we are approached by Savannah Police Department Sgt. Kaishawn Samuell. Wanting me to snap a pic of him with the Predator, I giggle when I realize that we are both obsessed over the same costume.

As I pass by the Molly McPherson’s food truck, I weave around Edward Scissorhands, the Joker and gladiators to find long last-seen Jerry and Diane Polk picnicking with a tribe of their relatives. While snapping a pic of some of the younger members of the clan, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” comes over the speakers and the youngsters start dragging their feet toward the center of the park. Y’all! We have a flash mob!

Back on stage, the always flamboyant Renee LaSalle is twirling around in her discount $12.99 druid/witch ensemble. Stealing the mic from Travis, she lets everyone know to tune in to hear her on I-95: “The Rock of Savannah” Monday through Friday for “Rockin’ MidDays” with Renee from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Another larger-than-life personality is Christi Kempf! A fan since the day I met the ChristiK Travel agent, I pause to watch her strut across the stage in her 80s workout-themed hot pink leggings, brown wig and massive headband. Asking her what is new in the travel world, the Latina beauty responds with, “I am buckling down on group travel, multi-generational groups and destination weddings.”

At this point I’m not sure what all I am seeing! There is a lady wearing a Ghost Pirates shirt and hockey helmet with a penalty box built around her, hobbits and fairies, a life-sized RoboCop, and three familiar faces dressed in colorful attire. Hey Mary Githens! The Latin Chicks owner shares some exciting news, “We have a speakeasy lounge, La Aparicion, at my Mint to be Mojito Bar located at our W. State St. location. It’s hiding in the back and you have to ask for a code to the private bathroom to get in,” shares the Pervian beauty.

Stunned that it has been 13 years since I covered her ribbon cutting on Waters Ave., I congratulate Mary on the recent “Georgia Trend” magazine “40 Under 40” award, then snap a pic of Mary with her sister Heidi Bard and nephew Alexander Bard. Giggling when Mary tells me her dog Lucha is “dressed as a llama because every family from the Andes has one,” I weave back through the crowd to the bandstand. 

Finally! Shannon has slowed down for a chat. “Hosting the biggest costume contest in Savannah while creating a unique fundraising event for the Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School took eight months of planning, and it’s finally here! Who else has a dance studio do a flash mob performance in the middle of their festivities?!” asks the school's development director.

Let’s just say that the only Montessori charter school in the state knocked this event out of Forsyth Park. As a free, public Montessori school providing a top notch education to predominantly underserved kindergarten to fifth graders in Chatham County, it makes total sense that a school that uses unique teaching methods would think to host the biggest costume party in town!

This article appears in Nov 9-15, 2022.