By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — The town had a “brush” with the Halloween spirit Saturday.

Witches, ghosts and other Halloween figures turned up in Westport this weekend as children painted holiday art on the windows of local stores and businesses. More than 30 merchants participated in the annual Halloween Window Painting Contest sponsored Saturday by the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce.

For the Nathan family, the Halloween painting event has become a family tradition. Scarlett, 8, a student at Saugatuck Elementary School, painted a plump ghost on the window of Stephen Kempson tailoring shop, 5 Post Road West. Her sister, Sally, 13, painted windows for the contest for four years, turning the tradition over to her younger sister this year. Scarlett said she hoped to win a prize, which this year is a gift certificate to Gofer Ice Cream, 1240 Post Road East.

“It’s a community-wide event,” said Scarlett’s mom, Lauren Nathan, as her daughter studied the sketch of the design she planned to paint on the shop window. As a mother, Nathan said she particularly appreciates the focus on art for children. “Art is celebrated in Westport … and it’s something other than playing sports or watching a screen.”

On Main Street, Penelope Whitbourne, 11, a Bedford Middle School student, was painting a ghost she called “cute and scary” at Cold Fusion Gelato, 178 Main St. It was Penelope’s first time participating in the contest.

She likes art and has taken art classes outside of school, reflecting the love of art that runs in her family. Her grandmother, Patricia Blundell, is an oil painter.

Merchants sign up to have young artists paint their windows, marking off 3-by-3-foot spaces for the images.

Children and their parents supplied the paints and other materials, and promise to return to clean up the windows after the holiday.

Winners in two age categories will be selected in each of three categories: Scariest Artwork, Best Halloween Theme and Most Original Artwork. Chamber of Commerce judges will review the artwork on Sunday and Monday, and winners will be announced Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s a great way to spend a day,” commented Patricia Whitbourne, watching her daughter happily paint ghosts on a store window.

“Merchants offer their windows for painting and kids coming out to paint them,” the chamber’s website said about the annual contest. “What could be better?”

These merchants participated in the Halloween window painting contest: ASF, Baker Graphics, Blossom & Stem, Brown Harris Stevens, Cold Fusion, Cycleology, Cycle Dynamics, Fleet Feet, Gofer Ice Cream, Greens Farms Spirits, HSBC and Joe’s Pizza.

Also, Manna Toast, Modern Dermatology, Naturino Shoes, Nic & Zoe, Organic Krush, Sam Sloat Coins, Sola Salon, Stephen Kempson, The Artist Loft Salon, The Home Cook, The Plumed Serpent, Viva Zapata, Westport Book Store, Westport Medical & Wellness, Winfield Street Deli, Westport Library, Westport Center for Senior Activities and 35 Elm Street.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and currently teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.