Combine Costume The Hit Of Halloween

Combine Costume The Hit Of Halloween COMBINES Miscellaneous What do you get when you merge cardboard boxes Frisbees an empty ice cream container swimming noodle nuts and bolts and a whole lot of hot glue? If you have an old photo of a Minneapolis Moline combine you get a winning Halloween costume says Christine Reigleman     The idea came from her 4-year-old son Parker It was not a surprise because last year when he was 3 he dressed up as a Minneapolis Moline G900 tractor - just like one his grandpa had     “It had to be a Moline because our family has 5 generations of Minneapolis Moline lovers ” Reigleman says She and her husband Ryan and their son live in a suburb of Washington D C But they spend most of their summer at tractor shows and with family in rural Pennsylvania     Reigleman and her mother Debbie Elder spent a weekend covering boxes with yellow paper making the header that spins on a swimming noodle dowels and cardboard; tires are painted Frisbees and the grain hopper is an ice cream container     “We fastened everything together with nuts and bolts and washers because it had to be sturdy ” Reigleman says noting she learned that from the tractor they made the year before     “The most challenging part was getting the proportions right We are a little OCD as is Parker so we wanted it to be realistic ” she adds     She purchased nylon straps and buckles to fit over Parker’s shoulders so he could wear the combine     “He marched around the suburbs 45 minutes from Washington D C Most people down here have never heard of Minneapolis Moline ” Reigleman says adding Parker corrected a few adults who called his combine a tractor     Though it was made as balanced and light as they could get it much of the night Parker’s father held up some of the costume’s weight to help his son     Besides bringing the farm to city folks the combine also won $300 in a local newspaper contest     The money went into a savings account that Parker may one day use to purchase a real Minneapolis Moline to start his own collection just like his grandparents and great-grandparents have     Reigleman admits she isn’t sure what Parker will come up with this year Though she still has the tractor and liked the combine she laughs that she may try talking him into a purchased costume     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Christine Reigleman Stafford Va

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