Kids get a jump on Halloween

Trick-or-treating may still be a day away, but excited kids around the Sonoma County were dressed up and ready for Halloween on Friday as schools in the area celebrated the annual fright-fest.

At Mattie Washburn Elementary School in Windsor, the festivities almost start the day - the 536 kindergartners and first-graders who go there too excited to wait any longer, principal Benita Jones said.

“We always do it first thing in the morning, because the kids are so anxious,” she said, having donned her own Mother Goose costume for the morning parade at neighboring Pleasant Oak Park.

Jones said the Halloween Parade is a long tradition that began at Windsor Creek Elementary School before Mattie Washburn opened 16 years ago.

Teachers and staff typically dress as literary characters, she said, while students take their inspiration from cartoons and other images favored by young children.

“Princesses are always popular,” Jones said. “We usually have tons of princesses. And quite a few ninjas for the boys.”

Many of the teachers follow the parade with a celebration that includes muffins and juice or other breakfast-style snacks that generally offer more nutrition than the sweets that might be served if the parties were held later.

“There are a lot of pumpkin pancakes being served today,” Jones said.

Then the kids can settle down, she said.