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Elks throw scary party for special friends

Guests at the event for the physically and mentally challenged enjoyed games, trick or treating and more.

By JENNIFER STEWART
Published October 29, 2005

ARIPEKA - Amber Fletcher was dressed as a princess as she rode around inside a giant swan that resembled a small parade float.

For three hours Thursday night, people first noticed the 9-year-old's bird, not her cerebral palsy, at a Halloween party.

"If you dress her up in a costume, the first thing people still see is the wheelchair," said William McGuire, Amber's mom's boyfriend.

McGuire, who considers Amber his stepdaughter, used cardboard boxes, duct tape, paint and white tissues for feathers to make the swan with the perfectly rounded head and an orange beak. Last year, he constructed a large coffin to disguise Amber's wheelchair.

"It was the first year we didn't get a pity "aaaww.' It was a cute "aaaww,' " Amber's mom, Karen Fletcher, said.

The family got the ooohs and aaahs at the 17th annual party for those who are physically and mentally challenged at the Aripeka Elks Lodge 2520. They enjoyed food, clowns, games and trick or treating at a large wooden village inside the lodge.

Wearing a black cape and with red makeup dripping from his eyes, 77-year-old Elks member Phil Franz sat up from a coffin as the nearly 500 partygoers entered the building. Franz has been Dracula every year of the annual event except one, when he had other duties as exalted ruler of the 1,600-member Elks lodge.

"I think our members get as much out of it as the kids get out of it," Franz said.

Member Hal Steffes of Spring Hill is the brainchild behind the party for those with special needs. He got the idea in the late 1980s after he visited a lodge in Cadillac, Mich., that hosted a similar party on a smaller scale.

"It's just growing and growing," Steffes said. "In fact, we have to keep close watch on it now."

Steffes estimates the party costs $6,000 to $7,000. "And it's all donated," he said. "It doesn't cost the lodge anything."

At the event, exalted ruler Mary Ford presented a check for $750 to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office for the Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranch, and one for $2,000 to the Angelus, which had nearly 30 of its clients at the party.

Angelus program administrator Joe Neri said they begin discussing their costumes and other preparations for the event about six weeks ahead of time.

"The Elks work so hard," Neri said. "They really go all out."

Jennifer Stewart writes about social events and personalities in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6231. Her e-mail address is jstewart@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 29, 2005, 01:45:21]