Halloween Parade Spooks Residents

By Elizabeth Gross, Contributing Writer

Halloween is the one day a year when people can act like freaks and no one else can say anything about it. This year, the annual New Paltz Halloween parade was the main attraction for people to show their freakish ways.

The parade, which started by the New Paltz Middle School and ended at the fire station, was the largest yet. Many families, townspeople and college students came, and almost everyone was in costume, even babies. The spectators lined up along Main Street at 6 p.m. anxiously waiting for the parade to start.

Members of the crowd took it upon themselves to entertain everyone while waiting for the parade to begin, including a bunch of ninjas showing off their their kung-pow skills.

Around half an hour later the parade started. A hearse led the parade, and following it were countless town groups and their members in highly creative costumes. The crowd went crazy for the parade participants, calling for them to look for good camera shots. Among the participants was Napoleon Dynamite, a face on a milk carton and a cupcake.

Although the parade was a success, many newcomers to the New Paltz community were somewhat disappointed with the parade. Many people said they felt they could have just hopped into the parade and been a part of it, and that the parade participants were not in character and walked almost sulkily.

“From all of the hype surrounding it, I expected it to be more of a structured event,” said Ruthie Lindner, a freshman. “But once we’ve been around the area for a while, we’ll probably get to know what to expect from holiday events in town.”

This could be true, especially since town regulars seemed to enjoy the parade thoroughly.

“The parade is a huge New Paltz tradition,” said Kate, a member of the new Paltz community. “You get to see a lot of people you don’t normally see, which makes it so exciting.” Parade participants also seemed to enjoy it very much.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but it felt like I was part of something very epic, like Greenwich Village,” said Lisa Perrin, who was a giant squid in the parade.

The parade gave adults and children something to do for Halloween other than egg houses and it was just one of the many things to do in town.

“We have a volunteer fire department that takes great care of our community,” said Rebecca Rotzler, deputy mayor of New Paltz. “By giving up their evening they go another step further in keeping our kids safe by providing them with a great end to our favorite day in New Paltz, Halloween.”

Other events included the pumpkin contest at The Bakery and the Haunted House hosted by the Youth Center. Also, this year was the last year Gunther’s Haunted House took place, which has been a huge staple of the New Paltz Halloween celebration for 25 years.

E-mail Elizabeth at gross02@newpaltz.edu