HOLLY — Screams erupted from the crowd at a downtown Halloween costume contest when a Davisburg Elementary student stepped onto the bandstand dressed as Holly’s familiar welcome sign, with one horrifying alteration: “The City of Holly Welcomes You!”
The homemade cardboard costume immediately sent several spectators scrambling from their seats. One resident demanded a fiscal impact study, while another began shouting questions about roads. Organizers briefly suspended judging after an argument broke out over whether the child would still be part of Holly Township.
“I was going to be a vampire,” the young contestant explained. “But Grandma screamed when she saw this, so Mom said it was better.”
Contest judges unanimously awarded the student first place in the Scariest Costume category, surpassing several elaborate zombies, a headless horseman, and an eight-year-old whose parents had spent nearly $1,000 on professional prosthetics.
“I’ve been judging this contest for eleven years,” said one visibly shaken judge. “I’ve never seen a costume make that many adults immediately start calculating their property taxes.”
Organizers have asked the family to cover the word “City” before taking the costume trick-or-treating, following concerns that residents might mistake it for an official announcement.