Halloween, by nature, allows celebraters to indulge their fantasies to be scary or silly - or both.

Both the frightening and the frolicsome mingled on the streets of Ironton Monday night for the annual Safe Trick-or-Treat event and Halloween parade.

Thirteen-year-old David Taylor of Coal Grove sported a wicked-looking red and gray mask that appeared to have warts and horns and a grotesquely shaped bone structure.

What exactly was he?

&#8220I'm not sure,” David said.

&#8220He's some kind of thing,” his brother, Andy, 11, volunteered. &#8220He's an evil dude.”

An evil dude. Fair enough.

Seven-year-old Zachary Schwab's skull face oozed fake blood when he squeezed a little pump in his hand. His little brother, Zane Schwab, 3, wore a coordinating, if you will, skeleton costume.

&#8220His mask is spooky,” Zane said, pointing to Zachary. Grandma &#8220Custy” Herrell and dad, Darrell Schwab said they took the boys to several stores before they found just the right outfits.

&#8220They had to have that big sword and bloody knife,” Darrell said with a grin, shaking his head.

Hey dad, it's Halloween. You gotta accessorize.

If it was humor you wanted to see, Tanner Williams, 10, of Ironton, came as a joker.

&#8220I just liked it,” he said. &#8220I like joking around a lot. I was going to be Jason (from the &#8220Friday the 13th” films) and saw this and liked it better.”

Chelsea Williams, 11, of South Point came dressed as a stork and a baby.

&#8220I was in K-Mart and I saw this and I asked my Aunt Debbie if she would get it for me,” Chelsea explained.

She came with Jordan Redman, 7, also of South Point, who came dressed as a cheerleader.

&#8220Nanna has my pom-poms in the car,” she said. And why did she decide to be a cheerleader? Was it because she wanted to rally the team? Well, not exactly.

&#8220Nanna wouldn't let me be a witch again this year,” she said sadly. Well, there's always next year.

Jordan Mullins of Coal Grove might have been warmer than most in his lion costume. At the age of 2, Mullins managed a little growl before prowling the streets for candy.

Parker Rowe, 7, of Ironton came as a clown. His dad, Bob Rowe, said mom spent a half hour making up his face so he looked just right.

Some outfits were more than outfits. They were small theatrical props. Three-year-old Christian Hicks of Ironton came dressed as &#8220Nemo,” the fish from the popular kids' movie, complete with his own aquarium and fake water world.

&#8220We found it on the Internet,” his mom, Amanda Sanborn said. &#8220His great aunt, Becky Sanborn, made it for him.”

Josie Fisher, 11, and Heather Mulkey, 11, both of Ironton were Betsy Ross and Sacajawea, respectively. Fisher's Betsy Ross came complete with a school desk and she sat needlepointing an American flag. Her native friend rode in a canoe powered by adult relatives. Both presentations were the products of grandparents Linda and Harry Mulkey.

&#8220It took us about two weeks to do it,” Harry Mulkey said.

In many doorways and at tables in the foyer of the Ironton City Center, the kids found masked faces and costumed treaters staring back at them.

A ghoul stood in the doorway of the newly opened Brown Funeral Home on Vernon Street. In the display window, a President Bill Clinton mannequin lay posed in an actual casket. Was this a political commentary?

No, said funeral home operator Eugene Brown, an employee just happened to have that mask.

&#8220I have had people come up to me and say ‘why don't you have a real person in the casket?'” Brown said. &#8220I didn't want to freak anyone out the first year but guaranteed, next year, I will do it.”

Idling by the doorway was the funeral car escort, its yellow light flashing.

At the Family Guidance Center booth at the city center, &#8220Sir” John Goodwin and &#8220Granny” Julie Huddle handed out candy.

Adults can dress up, too, but Goodwin said his knight's costume and Huddle's elderly-lady look may have been influenced by their Š mental state.

&#8220We're nuts,” Goodwin said with a laugh.

&#8220No, really, we work with kids - and it's Halloween!”