Youngsters enjoy merry-go-round pony rides at the Williamstown fall festival on Oct. 18 at Owens Park.
Over the millennia, human beings have enjoyed autumn harvest celebrations, giving thanks for the crops that would carry them through the winter.
They have included the Gaelic festival of Lughnasadh, tributes to harvest gods such as Demeter and Ceres in ancient Greek and Rome, the Jewish festival of Sukkot and the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Halloween was started by Druid priests in Ireland more than 2,000 years ago, and was known as the Festival of Samhain, marking the end of the harvest.
The Irish celebrated Samhain by wearing costumes to keep away ghosts and spirits. The Druids would light sacred bonfires, the embers of which would brighten hearth fires throughout the village to protect residents from evil spirits and the winter chill.
The Monroe Township Department of Parks and Recreation has now combined the ancient holidays into one celebration of both Halloween and the fall festival.
Events started at 10 a.m. on Oct. 18 with the annual Williamstown fall festival at Owens Park – featuring a pumpkin patch, hay rides, pony rides, pumpkin decorating, games, face painting and bounce houses – and concluded with the Halloween parade down Main Street at sunset.
“What a beautiful day,” said Community Affairs Director Donna Park, co-chair of the festival along with Matt Scardino, chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Commission. “Every year the festival is the same day as the Halloween parade.”
Park praised all the volunteers who helped set up the festival and would later go to Main Street to help decorate for the parade.
“This is a great turnout,” noted Scardino, looking around the large park with hundreds of residents enjoying the festival. “It’s a long day. It’s nice having all the volunteers come together.”
Director Joe Bruno and Tiffany Carney of parks and recreation both said they were happy to see so many people at the park, where laughter could be heard from children who enjoyed merry-go-round pony rides, bounce houses and hayrides.
In the Williamstown High School parking lot adjacent to the park, the township middle school’s PTO held its annual fall craft and vendor fundraiser, with nearly 50 booths of merchants selling arts and crafts. Distributing free water and snacks were PTO members Jess Simpkins, Melissa Lutz, Maria Spade, Alison Peters and students Salvatore Doelling and Bryce Casalunovo.
The Halloween parade later in the evening was led by Grand Marshall Francis J. Lambing, who has served the Williamstown Fire Company and the township of Monroe for 68 years. He enjoyed riding in a century-old fire truck.
This year’s parade judges were John Rumpf and Bill Yorio of the Monroe Township Police Department and Assistant Fire Chief Jim Smart. They selected Suzanne Muldowney as the special recognition award winner.
Other winners were as follows:
- The Dance Factory, Braves wrestling and St. Mary School finished first, second and third, respectively, in the large float category, while mini-float category winners were Hands Down BBQ, Stray Signal and Milestone Farm.
- The winners in the groups over 10 category were 13th Child Jeep Club, Girl Scout Troop 62731 and Hybrid Martial Arts. For small floats, the top three prizes went to the Monroe Township Police Department/FOP Lodge 125, Girl Scout Troop 60275 and Girl Scout Troop 30088.
- Best costume awards went to Moms on Main Street, the Jobs Lane Crew and Bonnie Sue. Best car winners were the Haunted Trail, the Punky Pooch and the Last Responder.
Handing out treats at the adjacent high-school parking lot as part of the Williamstown Middle School fall craft and vendor event are PTO members Jess Simpkins, Melissa Lutz, Maria Spade and Alison Peters, along with students Salvatore Doelling and Byrce Casalunovo.
