White House Halloween: Two Events, 2,600 Kids, & A 1,000 Pound Presidential Pumpkin

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama open the White House for Halloween...with a special focus on Military Families
President Obama and Mrs. Obama will host two different Halloween events today, for their very first All Hallows Eve at the Executive Mansion. The first event will be for school children, who are invited to come trick-or-treat, and the second will be for military families, the children of White House staff, and the children of residence staff. Yesterday, truckloads of pumpkins, hay bales, and other decorations were delivered to the White House (as well as cobwebs!) to prepare for today's events, and a special 1,000 pound Presidential Pumpkin was trucked in from Wisconsin. And given that the White House is said to be haunted* by more than just the ghosts of Republican administrations past, it should be a very busy and authentic holiday! (Above: A volunteer hangs a giant spider from the North Portico. Below: On the North Lawn driveway, volunteers carve one of three massive pumpkins shipped in for the festivities)

2,000 lucky "local" kids...and the special White House treats
For the first event, the White House and Department of Education chose schools from DC, Maryland, and Virginia to send 2,000 kids, ages 6-14, to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for special trick-or-treating, which will start at around 6:30 PM. The kids and their parents will troop by the "front door" of the White House, which is the North Portico (getting spider'd at top of post).
A sweet dough butter cookie made by White House Executive Pastry chef Bill Yosses will be included in the treat bags, and in keeping with Mrs. Obama's nutrition agenda, kids will also be given a serving of a dried fruit mix made with cherries, pears, and peaches. The President and First Lady won't be in costume, according to the White House. And there's no word on what costumes Malia and Sasha will be wearing this evening; Mrs. Obama recently told Jay Leno that that is "top secret information." Last year, Sasha was a ghosty witch, and Malia was a fairy. Costumed characters will be romping the North Lawn, too: Star Wars characters, snow globe fairies, bubble makers, and "wandering trees.

Military Families, and Staff Kids...
At 7:00 PM, President and Mrs. Obama will host a reception for military families and children of White House and residence staff in the East Room, which will be co-hosted by Vice President Joe Biden and Mrs. Biden. The focus on military families is part of a continuing effort to support our troops and their families at home. Since January, President and Mrs. Obama have both appeared at numerous military bases; earlier this week, Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Biden appeared at Game 1 of the World Series, which was dedicated to military veterans. The Fourth of July bash at the White House was in honor of military families, too. The Redmoon theatre company will perform. The Chicago-based company describes its productions as "equal parts pageantry, gadgetry, acrobatics, and ephemera," so it should be quite a show.

The Presidential Pumpkin...
The largest of the special pumpkins at the White House was grown by Dan Bowles of Eagle River, Wisconsin, who is one of that amazing sub-set of enthusiasts who grow giant pumpkins for competition. Bowles has been growing pumpkins competitively for four years, and is president of the Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers club. The Presidential Pumpkin actually weighs between 900 and one thousand pounds, depending on the scale its weighed on and moisture loss, but thousand-pound-pumpkin just sounds better, doesn't it? And yes, Bowles will be at the White House, too. In Wisconsin, he's known as 'The Pumpkin man." Bowles has actually grown pumpkins that are even bigger than the Presidential Pumpkin. Two other huge pumpkins will be at the White House, too: One from Pennsylvania and one from Rhode Island. (Above: The Presidential Pumpkin, in its native habitat)

Related: *Is the White House Haunted? The White House Historical Association tracks the supernatural history stories here, and check out these ghostly political tales. A brief history of Obama Homage Pumpkins is here.
*Photo of the Presidential Pumpkin from Wisconsin's 12 Watch news station. Updated At Noon with photos.