Melrose Park family makes Wheel of Fortune costume

MELROSE PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- With Halloween around the corner, the Alfano family is gearing up for another stand out performance-this year with the help of "America's game."

Anthony Alfano, 8, will be a Wheel of Fortune contestant and took his costume for a test run in Melrose Park on Friday.

Anthony's wheel looks like the real thing, with everything from cash to bankruptcy on the board. It spins too!

Everyone trick or treating-Anthony, mom, dad, cousins and grandparents-has a name tag.

"He lights up when the other kids come up and are excited about his costume," said mom Deanna Alfano.

This happens every year because each Halloween the Alfano come up with something eye-popping.

Deanna and husband Tony make the costumes themselves. Last year Anthony was an Abraham Lincoln Memorial snow globe. He's also been Zoltar, a horse jockey, and Pinocchio in years past.

"It's a nice distraction from the day to day," adds Deanna Alfano.

That reality: Cerebral palsy, which restricts little Anthony to his wheelchair. For the Alfanos, Halloween is a time for their boy to shine.

"It's the day I just want everybody to look at his costume and not just a wheel chair," explained dad Tony Alfano.

That's a bright idea if there ever was one.

For those of you trick-or-treating in Melrose Park Halloween, look out for Anthony Alfano because he may even let you take a spin.