Costume Ladies was recently announced as one of 40 stores across the United States which will participate in the first-ever Colossal Coachman Contest — a hat design contest presented by headwear manufacturer and distributor, elope Inc.

On Friday, July 3, contestants 18 years of age and older are invited to Costume Ladies’ shop to fill out an application and receive a free Coachman top hat to decorate however they please. The Kick-off Party begins at 2 pm and will last until 6. There will be door-prizes and Walpole Creamery coupons, as well as fresh popcorn from Ray Boas’ old-time popcorn cart. Contestants must return to the store by Friday, July 17, to submit their original coachman designs. These designs will be judged based on their use of the elope hat style, creativity, overall effect, and crowd appeal. The panel of 5 judges will include local notables of acknowledged creativity and artistic appreciation.

On Monday, July 20, 3 of our local contestants will be chosen as our store winner and national semi-finalist, along with 2 runners-up who will receive 2^nd and 3^rd place prizes. The semi-finalist will then be in the running for the grand prize, which is a $1100 prize package of elope hats and party-planning supplies.

elope Inc. is a leading distributor of costumes and accessories. “We love costuming and creating original designs. Our goal with this contest is to share that DIY and maker sensibility with our retailers,” said CEO Kevin Johnson. “We want to inspire creative costume parties that are about fun and friends – and not just on Halloween!”

The grand prize winner will be announced on or around August 19, 2015. Full details and national contest rules are available at elope.com/colossal.