With rain pouring outside, three-year-old Jesse Sterling’s spirits couldn’t be dampened as he went to the Civic Centre on Halloween dressed in a Captain Positive costume to get a photo with the mayor.
Accompanied by his family, including his mother Misty LaFleur and his grandmother Mary Primeau, Sterling was greeted by the smiles of municipal staff as they snapped photos of the little superhero.
Sterling’s costume was custom-made by Captain Positive’s negativity-fighting partner Opti-Woman played by Serena Morgan when she learned he wanted to dress up as the local hero for Halloween.
Primeau said Sterling’s answer that he wanted to be Captain Positive surprised them.
“It’s the first year of him kind of knowing about him,” said Primeau.
“He came home one day from day care and said it, so I wonder if they watched a video of him,” said LaFleur.
With some extra material she had on hand, Ervin created the outfit complete with a cape and hairpiece after meeting with Sterling and sizing it for him.
Mayor Darrin Canniff, who grabbed a couple photos with Sterling, said it was a lot of fun to see Sterling is his two-of-a-kind costume.
“This is what we’re trying to achieve. When he dresses up as him (Captain Positive), it says that he is positive and that’s the whole thing. Other kids look at him and it’s a cultural change,” said Canniff.
“I thought it was cool that he picked someone to dress up as that only someone from Chatham-Kent would know about,” said La Fleur
“He likes superheroes and I thought, ‘Let’s go with it.’”
