Families join in for 'wiz' of event

Hundreds of Dorothys, Tin Men, Scarecrows and Cowardly Lions were running around Bryan Park Saturday, a little early for Halloween. The reason was the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department was hosting "A Maze n' October."\nThe event, in its fourth year, celebrated autumn with the theme of the 1939 classic film "The Wizard of Oz." Everyone who attended was encouraged to dress up as their favorite character to celebrate the movie.\n"This started because we were looking for a great reason for families to come out and enjoy the fall," \nParks department employee Marcia Veldman said. "Then we came across the idea of 'The Wizard of Oz.'" \nFamilies flocked to the event, pushing the total attendance to more than 1,500 people, most dressed as characters from "The Wizard of Oz."\nThere were many activities offered for both children and adults, such as a petting zoo, face painting, wall climbing, crafts and the maze constructed from corn stalks. Apple bobbing and hayrides were also on hand to keep children busy.\nWhen asked what their favorite part of the day was, Bloomington residents David Polansky and Chris Alexeev shouted, "Candy Scrabble!" The game involved children diving into bales of hay for candy hidden within, with the candy serving as the prizes.\nThe Parks and Recreation Department also offered concessions so festival-goers would not go hungry. Available treats included hamburgers, hotdogs, nachos and chips.\nAdults and children alike were dressed up in celebration of the movie. Among those people dressed up were Bloomington resident Deb Speer and her daughter Emily, as the Scarecrow and a miniature Dorothy, complete with ruby slippers.\n"We came because we love 'The Wizard of Oz,'" Speer said. "We even made sure that we watched the movie before we came."\nIn addition to all the costumes and activities, a stage was set up for live music. The first group to perform was "The Monks" with a twangy, bluegrass sound. Also performing was "The Big Ol' Things" who presented more mellow blues music.Rosen and Reiss gear the cookbook toward college students and young professionals, but I've yet to find a college student who has Norwegian smoked salmon in their fridge, which is the main ingredient needed for "Smoked Salmon Wedges." This is just one example of the ingredients that this cookbook assumes you have on hand.\nIf by chance you do have a wide variety of odd ingredients in your kitchen, you're in luck and will be able to make wonderfully simple dishes. My favorite was Impromptu Pizza. The pizza calls for seven ingredients. The only ones I already had were salt and pepper. While I did have to go to the grocery store and spend quite a bit on fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, along with the other ingredients, I found the final product to be satisfying. All the fresh ingredients blended together nicely to create an enjoyable entree. Minus the time spent at the grocery store, the actual preparation and bake time were brief.\nAnother recipe I enjoyed were Buckeye Bars. They have a peanut butter base with chocolate on top and are very similar to peanut butter cups. While I actually had more of the ingredients involved in this recipe (peanut butter, graham crackers and chocolate chips) I did have to make a run to the grocery store for unsalted butter, confectioners sugar and brown sugar. These took a little bit longer to make but were worth the effort.\nIn addition to food dishes, "Midnight Snacks" even includes self-care sections like "late night rehab," which offers energizing drinks like Ginseng-Sling and "spa night," which consists of relaxing remedies like Japanese Sake Bath. Even with these sections, chances are you'll have to hit up the grocery store before embarking on your cooking adventure.\nOverall, this is a really good cookbook, as long as you understand that it will not live up to its claim of providing late night snacks to college students. If you are interested in getting an out of the ordinary cookbook, then this is for you. Most of the recipes seem new and original, yet simple to create. If you love to cook, check this book out, but if you want an alternative to "standing by the freezer eating ice cream from the carton," order pizza.