How convenient that Halloween falls on a Friday this year. Always a busy one for Nashville haunts (pun intended), Halloween lures costumed adults to trick-or-treat for their favorite cold beverages at each and every one. I’ve heard it said that Halloween is the one night of the year when respectable girls can get away with dressing provocatively. Maybe that’s why the costume industry has turned everything from storybook characters to taxi drivers into something sexy. I even saw a very questionable Harry Potter costume last year, but I  won’t go there.
    I love dressing up, and I’m definitely not one for predictable costumes. Last year, five of my friends and I dressed up as a sampler six-pack of Yazoo beer (I was Onward Stout). Though creative, we didn’t win any of the contests we entered. This year, I have a superstar costume in the works that I’m hoping will at least win me some compliments.
    Hopefully my ramblings of crowded bars and scantily clad Rainbow Brites haven’t scared you into staying home because I have the perfect Halloween plan for you.
If you are going to spend money on Halloween, you might as well give it to a good cause. The Arthritis Foundation’s Bone Bash pairs charity fundraising with the city’s biggest Halloween party of the weekend.
    Mark your calendar for Thursday, October 30 and head to the Cannery Ballroom in Nashville. Touted as  the ultimate adult costume party in Middle Tennessee, this 21 and older event will have you dancing the night away with hundreds of Nashville’s best party gals and ghouls. Add games, astrologers, a cash bar and a costume contest sponsored by Nashville Sports Leagues, and you have more flavor than a pillowcase full of candy!
    Make sure you brush up on your “Thriller” moves too because Who’s Bad, a Michael Jackson tribute band, is the feature act this year. I really can’t think of a better act for a Halloween party, especially since the real Michael is carrying a bit of baggage these days. Apparently the Bone Bash committee must have celebrity taste because Who’s Bad is rumored to be booked for Hugh Hefner’s Halloween party as well.
    Bone Bash, which estimates a crowd between 800 - 1,000, has raised more than $90,000 in the past three years to battle a disease affecting more than a million adults and 6,000 children in Tennessee. This year, the Arthritis Foundation is hoping to raise even more money with a silent auction featuring sports memorabilia, Nashville Symphony tickets, golf packages, gift certificates to local boutiques and restaurants and even a pair of diamond earrings!   
    Event chair Halie Fisher hopes Bone Bash will be the kickoff for all Halloween festivities this year. “Most people who go out for Halloween end up spending the same amount of money as the admission charge. Why not put that money towards a good cause and a night of great festivities?” says Fisher. Hosting the party on Thursday gives everyone the chance to wear their costumes for two nights and doesn’t interfere with Friday trick-or-treating.
    Bone Bash tickets, which are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, can be purchased online. VIP tickets are $55 in advance/$60 at the door and include admission, appetizers and some drink tickets. Doors open at 7 p.m.
    Did you have a house on your street that was notorious for handing out full-sized candy bars on Halloween? Yeah. That’s what the Cannery will be like this year ... the house to hit up for trick-or-treating, adult style.
    For more information about the Bone Bash, visit bonebashnashville.com or email Halie Fisher at haliefisher@gmail.com.
    Here’s wishing you a safe and happy Halloween. Don’t take candy from strangers, always stay in groups, and come up with a creative costume. You can always save your French maid getup for Sunday housework.