At Power & Light District, partygoers mix Royal blue and Halloween fright

Fans watching Game 4 of the World Series on Halloween expected Saturday night to be a thriller, and in the Power & Light District they dressed for it.

For some, that meant putting on a wild costume in the spirit of the holiday. Others, espousing the purity of postseason baseball, wore only Kansas City Royals gear. A few found a way to celebrate both.

The usual crowd of blue jerseys and yellow paper crowns mixed with devils, kitty-cats, scary clowns and the occasional Left Shark. Officially, Power & Light’s theme of the night was “Carnival of Chaos,” bringing out many scary-looking clowns, freaks and mustachioed ringmasters.

Amid all this, one young couple stood out as Royals royalty.

Derek Kandt and Sophia Stockton wore the crowns of a king and queen, with Kandt in a rich blue robe and Stockton in the wispy dress of a fairy princess. With a benevolent wave of a dollar-store scepter, they received common people seeking photographs.

The idea for the costume belonged to Stockton, 24, of Gardner. “We want to take back the throne,” she said. “I just thought, I want to do something to support the Royals.”

Nearby, enjoying some drinks as the game began, Damon and Joanna Lee hewed closer to the tradition of Halloween and the “Carnival” theme of the party. Damon Lee came in the coat and tails of a ringmaster while Joanna Lee wore a Harlequin-inspired costume of a carnival character.

The occasion offered a rare night out for the couple, who have hosted Halloween parties for their children at home in Wamego for 20 years. “This year, we wanted to do something a little different — have an adult-style Halloween,” Damon Lee said.

But it was a rare partygoer who did not show at least a little Royals blue. A few fans took the more severe position that the night was about baseball and nothing else.

Two young men in matching Royals jerseys laughed at the idea of a costume.

“This is Game 4 of the World Series,” emphasized Quentin Willett, 18, of Kansas City. “Dude, why would you dress up for Halloween when it’s postseason for the Royals? Dressing up is fun and games.”

And while the stakes were high, with the series at 2-1 in Kansas City’s favor going into Saturday’s game, Willett and his friend Jacob Snyder, 20, of Kansas City, said they were far from spooked.

“I’m not even nervous about it,” Snyder said.

As the game played out on the big screen and the party continued, the crowd made one concession to the possibility of being outside for hours. Most of their clothing, whether Royals blue or Halloween-frightful, involved warmth.

This story was originally published October 31, 2015 at 9:02 PM with the headline "At Power & Light District, partygoers mix Royal blue and Halloween fright."