Clayton Library Celebrates Halloween With Returning Favorites

CLAYTON, N.C. – There is something about Halloween that brings out the imagination in everyone. Children get to become someone else for a night, ordinary places feel a little more mysterious, and a good spooky story can make almost anything feel possible.

Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library is getting into the spirit with Halloween activities throughout September and October, including the return of two popular initiatives that invite children and families to be part of the fun.

The Halloween Costume Swap runs through October 31. Families can stop by the library, located at 100 South Church Street, during regular business hours to browse available costumes for babies through teens. There is no need to donate a costume in order to take part.

The library is also accepting clean, gently used, or new costumes and accessories. Donations may include hats, masks, capes, and other costume pieces. To help make sure every item is ready for its next wearer, costumes and accessories should be free of rips, stains or heavy damage.

“For some children, finding the right costume can be one of the most exciting parts of Halloween,” said Library Manager Mel Poole. “It is fun to see something that one family no longer needs become part of another child’s big night. That kind of sharing is one of the ways a library can bring people together.”

While some visitors may be searching for a costume, others may be dreaming up a character of their own. The library’s 2026 Spooky Story Contest is open to students in grades 3 – 8. This year’s theme is “Small Town Secrets,” inviting young writers to imagine what mysteries might be hiding behind familiar doors, along quiet streets, or in places everyone thinks they know.

Stories must be original, no more than 500 words and suitable for young readers. Spooky stories are encouraged, but entries should not include graphic violence or mature themes. Entries must be typed and submitted through the library’s online form by 2 p.m., Saturday, October 17. Writers may also create their own illustrations, which can be turned in separately at the library’s Youth Desk with the student’s name on each page.

“Small towns are full of places that can spark a story,” said Youth Services Supervisor Grace Davis. “A house you walk past every day, an old building downtown, or even a quiet street can become something completely different when you start asking, ‘What if?’ We want kids to follow those ideas wherever their imaginations take them.”

Library staff will review all entries. Selected stories will be read aloud during the All Hallows Read Celebration on Thursday, October 29 and included in a bound collection that will be added to the library’s shelves. That gives young writers something few people get to experience: the chance to walk into their local library and find their own work on the shelf.

The Costume Swap and Spooky Story Contest are part of a larger lineup of Halloween activities at Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library this fall.