Window Washers Play Dress-Up

Window washers play dress-up, Nebraska: Expressions of surprise and amusement lit up the faces of those who craned their necks skyward while strolling along the East side of the downtown Wells Fargo Center building on Thursday. From the ledges on side of the building,1600 P St., Batman and the Joker were waving to passersby below on the sidewalks. High-rise window cleaners Cody Schneider and J.R. Elkins of G&M Window Service were decked out as the supervillian and superhero in celebration of Halloween. This is the sixth year of the holiday tradition. "I think everybody looks forward to it," said Elkins, who dressed up as Batman. Past costumes have included several superheroes such as Spiderman and Superman. The challenge, though, is finding a costume that is safe to wear while getting the job done, Elkins said. "What we do isn't the safest job in the world, but we try to make it that way," he added. Elkins said people have been very receptive of the Halloween tradition over the years, and children seem to especially enjoy it. "We get quite a bit of attention for it," he said. New Covenant Community Church pastor Bret Welstead said he stopped to check out the festivities when the costumes caught his eye while he was walking downtown. "I just think it's great that they're taking some of their Halloween spirit into their job today."

Picture 1: G.M. Window Service's Cody Schneider, dressed as the Joker, peers over a ledge on the side of the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Lincoln on Thursday.
Picture 2: The cape of high-rise window cleaner J.R. Elkin flutters in the wind as he repels down the side of the Wells Fargo Center, 1248 O St., on Thursday. Elkin dressed as Batman in celebration of Halloween and waved to passersby below between window cleanings.
Picture 3: Cody Schneider, who is dressed as the Joker as part of a G.M. Window Service Halloween tradition, repels down one level to the next window in need of cleaning.
.

.

Munger, who retired from the Lincoln Fire Department in 2004, founded a small window cleaning business in 1981. G&M Window and Building Service now has 20 employees and serves commercial and residential clients in the region.