STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Ketchum’s legendary Nightmare on Main Street etched another tale for the centuries in its books this week when a building was judged the best overall costume.
You heard right. The MarriNOT Waivers rolled onto Main Street under the cover of darkness, offering glow stick waivers to anyone who signed a petition for or against. Inside, the 72-foot “hotel” offered room for eight to kick back at a wine bar, a generator providing electricity.
The spoof on the Marriott Hotel that has been proposed south of Ketchum’s Limelight Hotel featured a 12-story building that would have loomed large had it been the real deal.
“I knew going into it that it might be a bit controversial. But we love to have fun with a little social commentary and the Marriott seemed like an obvious target,” said Nick Harman, one of the developers behind the hotel. “We didn’t envision it becoming the big monstrosity it was. But it started taking on a life of its own. And we ended up giving out 200 glow stick waivers.”
Latino DJ Gustavo showed up with $50,000 worth of equipment to add to the spectacle behind DJ Doc Rock and DJ Loco.
Laser lights darted through the dark night sky and revelers dressed up as Chewbacca, the characters from “Toy Story” and even Mr. Banks and Mary Poppins waved glow sticks in the air on a night that was reasonably pleasant at 35 degrees. Elvis showed up with his showgirls adorned in white feathers. And Napoleon Dynamite was roaming through the crowd soliciting votes, as always.
“I’ve been organizing Nightmare on Main Street for five years and this is the biggest one for sure,” said Harman. “And the glow sticks waving in the air made it so colorful.”
It might have been even bigger had a freak snowstorm not dumped up to three inches of snow in some parts of Hailey and Bellevue just before the party started.
Mike Howard, who won last year’s Best Overall Costume as Inspector Gadget returned this year in a costume depicting Lady Gaga in her meat dress but lost out to the Cave Women for Sexiest Costume. Humpty Dumpty won most Creative Costume. And someone wearing a Hazmat suit with a skull for a face won Scariest.
People of the Oregon Trail won Best Group Costume, while the MarriNOT won Best Overall Costume.
“Nightmare on Main Street was awesome,” Colleen Quindlen, membership and marketing director for the Wood River Community YMCA, told those attending the Sun Valley Economic Development’s Economic Summit on Monday. “We need to have more opportunities like that for young people to have fun.”
Harman said DJ Gustavo has already volunteered to return next year with twice as much music and sound.
“We’ve got idea for next year to make it bigger and better as long as the community steps up with donations,” said Harman. “After all, it’s a community event put on by the community with community money.”