Three nights before Halloween, the Suffolk YMCA was overrun by witches, superheroes, princesses, Grim Reapers, and the occasional Darth Vader. On Friday night, the facility held its first Monster Mash, giving its youngest clients a chance to get in a little trick-or-treat practice.

&uot;We love our kids, and we wanted to give them a nice Halloween,&uot; said events coordinator Stephanie Clark, attired in Minnie Mouse regalia as the children filled the childcare facility with dances to &uot;Thriller&uot; and &uot;Monster Mash.&uot; &uot;We felt that if we did this on a Friday night instead of Halloween, we’d get more people.&uot;

Withcraft spread through the facility, as many young women donned dark clothes and large, pointy hats.

&uot;Witches are on television, and they have magical powers,&uot; said Caitlyn Scaggs, 9. &uot;I’d like to fly like them, so I could see a lot of new things.&uot;

Sarah Connally, who topped her own witch costume off with a broom, won a costume contest.

&uot;This is my old costume, and it’s still good,&uot; said the 11-year-old. &uot;I’m going to be a princess for Halloween, and I can’t wait to get candy.&uot;

King’s Fork Middle School student Carl Hale, attired like the baddie from the &uot;Scream&uot; movies, used tubes through his mask to make it &uot;bleed.&uot; He also won a costume prize.

&uot;Last year, I had this, but it didn’t bleed,&uot; he said. &uot;People get scared when I pump the blood. I’ll probably get a lot of candy, because people should think I’m scary and funny.&uot;

Those were common feelings around the party – Kendall Effler, for example, was a giant piece of pizza.

&uot;I like pizza!&uot; she said. &uot;People keep trying to eat me, and I say, ‘Hey, get off!’&uot;

In a few years, Victoria Tumilty’s costume might become her everyday dress.

&uot;My mom’s a nurse, and I wanted to be one,&uot; she said, indicating her surgeon gear. &uot;She helps people and I want to do that.&uot;

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com