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By Iris Hersey

Halloween might be Sunday, but some of the most creative costumes in Troup County were on display Friday at the Active Life in LaGrange.

The center hosted its annual Halloween contest Friday with 16 members competing to win four categories: most unique, most creative, funniest and best dressed. To compete, members were interviewed in character and then did a short parade through the room to the tune of Monster Mash.

Dan Wooten, the emcee and organizer of the event, started the contest over 20 years ago when he first came to Active Life. He said this event has been a favorite of many of the members.

“There’s certain ones that are just like Nancy Purdue, she starts thinking about a year before. She’s the pasta, the bow tie pasta,” Wooten said. “But several of them like that are thinking already, ‘Okay, what next year will I be?’ Some of the really fanatics that love (it).”

Purdue won this year for most unique and was dressed as a giant bowtie pasta with pasta throughout her hair. Purdue has hand made all of her own costumes since she started competing in 2005.

Ruby Parker won the category of most creative for her costume as super grandma. In her interview with Wooten, she said that her life inspired her costume this year.

Runners-up were Valerie Cofield as a clown for most unique, Barbara Hudson as Dr. Doolittle Scrapbooking for most creative, Roger Sledge as grumpy old man for funniest, and Derek Wilson as an army man for best dressed.