The 110th annual Northern Lehigh Halloween Parade in Slatington needs volunteers and floats to carry on its multiple decade tradition.

According to Russel Hallman, parade committee chairman, the event was under threat of cancellation this year after a snag with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and detours."Last year I had tried to get barricades. This year I asked Zack Mako, (the 183rd district's state representative), to talk to PennDOT to see if there were barricades to use and PennDOT said we didn't have a permit," he said.The state road department wanted a new detour before it would issue a permit, Hallman said."We asked the borough engineer Larry Turoscy to redraw the detour map and I submitted that," he said.The parade route will start in Slatington on Main and West streets. Floats will move down Main Street and across the canal into Walnutport, ending on South Lincoln Avenue."The (Greater Northern Lehigh) Chamber jumped on Mako at the appreciation picnic, and he looked into it for us. PennDOT comprised and downsized the detour layout," he said."I got the permit last week. We will have people standing in Walnutport and Slatington to direct the traffic and have signs down at the Gap. We had to start the parade a half-an-hour earlier this year. So it's not so late when it's over, and it'll be sooner for the roads to open again," Hallman said.The parade had previously begun at 6:30 p.m.; the new start time is 6 p.m."Besides the new start time, the parade will be business as usual," he said.Hallman credited Turoscy, Mako and PennDOT for working together to keep the parade going for its milestone year.The second hurdle that needs to be jumped is the issue of community help to put on thefamilyfriendly night."We only have five or six volunteers left. We need four people to carry the division banners and two more judges in Slatington," he said.To keep the parade from looking sparse, Hallman is asking anyone in the area to create zombie-themed floats for the half-hour televised evening."I'm not sure if people thought it wasn't going to happen, but we need floats."Hallman said the committee worked together to add a few new things to the parade this year."We have a Mummers band from Philadelphia, and we are working on getting the Iron Pigs' mascots," he said."Everyone says it's a milestone so we wanted to have it big. We just need nice weather and floats."Any organization can enter a float into the parade."Some people say it's just a parade, but it's not.It gets people out among each other. The kids have a good time."Applications to submit a float for theOct. 28 Halloween Parade can be found online at

www.northernlehighevents.com