Jack-o?-lanterns greet parade-goers on Collinsville?s big night. For more on the village?s celebration, visit: collinsvillehalloween.com t h e f i r s t y e a r w e a t t e n d e d

the Collinsville Halloween Parade, I pulled out my seldom-used sewing machine to make my 2-year-old son a pumpkin costume. My husband and I dressed as scarecrows and joined him in the procession. When a Red Baron biplane, a Christmas tree, and a table and chair walked by, I realized how far we?d fallen short of the artists among us.