The event is a new part of the Greater Lewiston Business and
Professional Association's annual Pumpkin Festival, which started
Saturday and continues today. But it stirred the ire of witches and
members of the Wiccan religion all over Western New York and Southern Ontario. A call went out to all to join together to help shake the
long-standing stereotypes.

"We will be here to provide public information, but you won't even know.
We're just like everybody else," one said. "A lot of people are in
hiding. They have been scared to come out. There is no evil. We are
peace-loving."

But not exactly fun-loving, say some Halloween traditionalists.

"This is not about them at all," said Eva Nicklas, who has been dressing up as Witch Hazel for the past 27 years. "This is about Halloween fun.

"We're not making fun of the Wiccans. They ought to lighten up and let
us have our fun. Where's their sense of humor?" said Nicklas.

The witches found nothing funny about a group calling itself a coven and
donning ugly costumes while acting "devilish." The contest suggested
that "parents are welcome only if accompanied by a plump child."

Sandy Hays, director of the Lewiston Business and Professional
Association, the organization that sponsors the Pumpkin Festival, met
with the witches and admitted true ignorance on the matter, noting
everything was just in fun.

The witches worked with Hays to tone down some of the images, asking for beautiful witches - not hags. The two sides agreed that a costume contest would be better.

"I plan to wear a beautiful cloak and Renaissance-style clothing," witch
Amy Koban said.

Mayor Richard F. Soluri said it was a fair compromise.

"We've learned something about them, and the witches will be joining the festival. That should make it more festive," he said.

Kobans psychic shop, which is nestled near a yoga studio and pottery shop
and across from the Enchanted Florist Shop on the village's Center
Street, has become a gathering place for some witches.

The four witches in the shop just days before Halloween were all smiles, despite their terrible image.

A local witch who is known professionally as Kenna is a
green witch of the Pecti-Witan path, a Scottish sect, and Koban is a
"Cabot witch" who trained in Salem, Mass.

Koban wears her black hair long and dresses in black.

So why all the black?

"Black is the culmination of all light. It absorbs energy," she said,
adding with a smile, "And it makes you look thin."

They all stressed that the popular image of the evil, ugly woman was a
hard one to shake.

"We don't do evil. We do not worship Satan," said Koban.

Those witches who want to educate the public will be set up in Hennepin Park at 2 p.m. today during the contest, passing out candy, handing out fliers and answering questions.

"We believe in karma. Whatever you do returns to you threefold. Like the saying: What goes around comes around," said Kenna.

Laurie Cabot of the Witches League for Public Awareness in Salem, Mass., says it was during the infamous witch trials that most of the
misinformation about witches became generally accepted lore.

Kenna has been a witch for 30 to 40 years and says she feels she can
talk about it much more now that there is more acceptance, but still
notes that she has to "make decisions about who I can be open with."

"Most people of other faiths don't go around preaching. Neither do we.
They have to come find us. The Internet is especially helpful," said
Kenna.

Koban said the negative stereotype they have faced is similar to the
one stepmothers had to put up with for so many years.

"But why green faces?" wonders Doe aloud to her friends. "My face isn't green."

Kenna  and Koban all practice some form of psychic reading, with Koban and Burnham doing tarot readings and Kenna offering rune readings, which is a Scottish practice.

"Most witches work on some kind of intuitive ability. Some strictly work
with herbs and healings instead of psychic ability," Kenna said.

"I talk to dead people all day," she said. "I just love it."

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