We really enjoy Halloween here in Eureka Springs, AR because every year we get from 400 to 500 kids at our bed and breakfast, most of whom are dressed up in costumes. A good share of the parents also join in with their kids by dressing up.

Another fun event is the Mad Hatter’s Ball, a lavish costumed affair and fundraiser for the Eureka Springs School of the Arts (ESSA). The event includes live and silent auctions, music and dancing, a hat contest, and live music by Red Ambition. This ball is in true “Eureka style” – party-goers will dazzle each other with creative hats, while many go further, sporting full costume. Awards will be given for “Best Hat”, & for the “People’s Choice”.

Some of the hats you see at the ball are so unique it makes you shake your head and say, “Wow, who would have thought you could make a hat out of that?”

Hours are 6:30 to 11 p.m. Tickets are $50, including an Italian pasta buffet, and available by calling ESSA at 479-253-5384. ESSA is a non-profit school providing adults and youth classes in arts and crafts throughout the year for emerging and professional artists. Award-winning, noted artists and craftspeople teach classes at the school’s campus.

So, I end with what the King of Hearts says in Alice in Wonderland, “Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end, then stop.” Eureka Springs is the end.