Halloween parade ‘a cherished tradition’

Halloween has become one of the most popular holidays all year – started by Druid priests in Ireland more than 2,000 years ago.

The annual Festival of Samhain on the Emerald Isle marked the end of the harvest, and the Irish people would celebrate by wearing costumes to keep away ghosts and spirits. The Druids would light sacred bonfires, the embers of which would light hearth fires throughout the villages to protect residents from evil spirits and the winter chill.

The holiday has evolved into its present form, but in Palmyra, the big highlight is the annual parade normally held the night before Halloween. Due to rainy weather on Oct. 30, the event was rescheduled to Nov. 2 and drew hundreds of people lined up on Little Broad Street.

Although the first parade was in 1926, the tradition fizzled out until being resurrected by borough officials in the late 1960s. The parade began as a simple neighborhood celebration, started by local families who wanted a safe, festive way for children to show off their costumes.

Over the years, it has become one of the borough’s signature events, drawing floats, performances and spectators not just from the borough, but also Riverton and Cinnaminson.

“I remember walking in the parade myself when I was a teenager,” said Borough Administrator John Gural, who was watching this year’s parade with his girlfriend, both of them dressed as Minnie and Mickey Mouse. “This year one of our new trash trucks is in the parade.”

Oscar from “Sesame Street” – aka sanitation department foreman Sean Gerbe – was on that truck throwing candy to children.

Parade committee volunteers work year-round and behind the scenes to make the event happen, Gural explained.

“The volunteers fundraise, plan and organize every detail of the annual parade and related activities, ensuring that each Oct. 30 is as memorable as the last,” noted the committee’s website. “Their efforts keep this cherished tradition alive, lighting up Palmyra’s streets with laughter, community spirit and a touch of Halloween magic.”

This year, the committee selected Michael Robinson, branch manager of the Riverton library for many years, as the grand marshal. The parade kicked off at Little Broad Street and Thomas Avenue in Riverton, led by Palmyra High School cheerleaders, and made its way past borough hall toward Legion Field.

Next were members of the Palmyra Arts Boosters all dressed in spooky costumes, followed by Herman and Lily Munster on stilts. Playing upbeat music were costumed members of the Cinnaminson High School Band.