Wiscasset Elementary School teacher Clara Brown hoped people would respond to her Halloween costume swap idea, and they have. The first grade teacher said the costume count had reached about 60 as of Monday, the two-month mark since Brown announced plans for the swap for WES families in a story published at www.wiscassetnewspaper.com.

She'll be sorting the costumes from the accessories for the event, which now has a date: Oct. 27 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the school gym. Items can still be contributed through Oct. 26, Brown said. “It's been such a great response,” she said.

Brown and the school have continued getting the word out through the media and other means including morning announcements at school. Community members have dropped off items, and parents have sent them to school with students, Brown said. Staff and a man in Texas have also contributed costumes, she said.

“He said he just loves Halloween and thought (the swap) was a great idea.”

Brown, a lifelong fan of Halloween, based the idea on a prom season, community dress swap she helped with in North Carolina when she was studying at East Carolina University. Her goal in the costume swap is to make it easier for WES families to get costumes for their children and to have children be able to help pick what they’ll wear.

Brown said some costumes will go to students without trade-ins. That part of the project is being done at teachers’ discretion, providing her with names and then those students can pick a costume ahead of the swap, she explained.

For more on the swap and how to contribute items, email Brown at cbrown@wiscassetschools.org.