The Great White Ape of Steele's Creek Park

(And why children love Halloween)

My little sister bought it for me when I was in college. It was a remarkably lifelike gorilla suit, complete with a mask, hands, and even feet. She spray-painted it white (I suppose for camouflage since she bought it in winter).

So it became The Great White Ape. (And at times, so did I.)

By the time I began teaching elementary school, I would intertwine lessons with stories of the legendary Great White Ape - who just happened to inhabit the woods of our local Steele Creek Park.

One of the dearest friends I ever had, Glen Eads, and I taught for a few years together at Bristol’s Highland View Elementary. One spring we made plans to take our classes on a field trip to hike at Steele Creek Park - which made it a perfect time to unwind a Great White Ape yarn and prank.