TOMS RIVER – The Halloween parade is so long that it takes a good half hour from the start of the parade to make it down to the end of the route, and more than an hour for the entire procession. But that’s only part of the fun.
While the parade starts at 7 p.m., the festivities begin much earlier.
People really want to get a good seat for the parade, particularly if you have little ones. So a lot of families set up an hour or more beforehand with folding chairs and blankets like they’re staking out a section of beach.
This creates a fun sense of community even before the main event. Everyone is hanging out, meeting people, catching up with someone they haven’t seen in a while. The parade officially ends at the stage in front of the library for judging, but a lot of people watched from the curb after that as well. Hooper Avenue was closed, so when a float kept going down that way, they were still getting waves and cheers from people.
The restaurants downtown were hustling, working fast to meet demand. You could peak in the windows and see a Disney princess waiting to be seated, and a boy in a black cloak sitting at a table, reading a menu. There were also a few remote vendors, like a brewery tent and a food truck behind one area.
Many people came in costume just to watch the parade. There were Wednesday Addamses. There were Gomez and Morticia Addamses. Some of them had Thing with them. There were also Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss.
Everyone was checking out each other’s costume. Even dogs were in costume. Were the dogs also checking out each others’ costumes?
Vendors sold light-up swords, wands, and bubble makers. Therefore, you were likely to see Coraline with a light saber, or Spider-Man with a light saber, or even a zombie with a light saber. The point is, there were a lot of light sabers.
Spidey wasn’t the only super hero in attendance. Batman was in the parade. The Incredible Hulk was in the audience. So was Hulk Hogan, too. After all, you can dress up as real people for your costume as well. That’s what one guy did who dressed like Einstein. Although, on second glance, it wasn’t a costume…just a guy who looked a lot like Einstein.
Walking through the crowd, it was a feast for the eyes. You didn’t want to miss anything. There’s some Coneheads. There’s the guy from Scream. A skeleton walks by with a coffee in each bony hand. Jack Sparrow. Ratatouille and the chef. Tigger. A nun. Only two Ninja Turtles for some reason. Another guy from Scream…that makes sense, actually.
Stephen and his daughter Elsa moved here four years ago from Charleston, S.C. When they learned about the Halloween parade, they went and were very surprised by how big it was. “We haven’t missed it since,” Stephen said.
Artists from High School South paint murals on the windows of shops downtown. They were inspired by horror movies, books, and other things associated with Halloween.
Calleigh Cooke of Beachwood’s mural was a kid dressed as a ghost being scared by a real ghost, against a backdrop of harvest colors. She said she wanted to go more traditional in her artwork than gruesome. Considering she was dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, it definitely fit.
Her mother, Heather, explained she grew up going to the parade, and enjoying the art, and she was proud that her daughter was now part of this experience.
Some people were just joining the party. Kristyn Marbut came from Manchester with her baby, Theo, who wore a shirt announcing it was his first Halloween.
“It’s our first time here,” she said. “We just moved to Manchester almost two years ago. He’s not big enough for Trick or Treat so let’s see the parade.”
The parade itself could be heard coming down the street from the screams of sirens. It was kicked off by first responders such as the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Fire trucks are always a bit hit at the parade, naturally. The parade is run by the volunteers at Toms River Fire Company #1. This year’s Grand Marshall was ex fire chief Al McDaniel. He has 50 years with the company and is still active. He rode in an antique fire truck from Island Heights.
Since it is the 250th anniversary of our country, patriotic decorations and costumes were suggested for the parade. One man who didn’t need that suggestion was Joseph Placente, Toms River High School Class of 1950, who dons red, white and blue in every parade. It’s definitely not a costume for him.
People dressed up their cars and trucks and took them for a ride in the parade, too. Some were businesses promoting their services; some were just for fun. Some of the trucks were as big as the floats.
The floats were constantly entertaining and creative. Oceanaire, which runs out of Miller Air Park in Berkeley, had a biplane. An exterminator had a giant bug. A radio station had a live band playing.
The parade is known as the second largest Halloween parade in the world, and was broadcast on the fire company’s Facebook page as well as the school district’s Youtube channel at TRSTV.
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