Tamaqua Halloween parade draws crowd
A combination of mild weather and an impressive lineup of floats and marching ghouls packed Broad Street with spectators Tuesday for the 52nd Annual Tamaqua Halloween Parade.
The event, sponsored by the Tamaqua Lions Club, is not only the largest annual parade in the community but one of the largest in Schuylkill County.
Many attendees were on hand to see performances by their children and grandchildren.
“My daughter is with The Dance Factory,” said Lehighton native Sam Seaboldt, attending her first Tamaqua parade to see Madison, 12, take part.
Sue Bittner of Rush Township smiled as granddaughter Koreena, dressed in a Harry Potter-themed costume, performed a magic trick with her scarf. Little Koreena appeared most recently at Tamaqua’s 9/11 services, where she sang, and at age 10 is already a seasoned performer.
One of the youngest spectators was Adelynn Valentine, 2, bundled up and patiently waiting in her stroller, sitting contentedly at the Five Points intersection and checking out the crowd.
“She’s waiting to see the band,” said Nancy Houser of Tamaqua.
The two-hour event featured many elaborately lighted floats sponsored by businesses and civic groups. Youth-oriented marching groups represented area dance studios, sports teams and cheerleading squads.
The top awards, selected by the panel of judges are: Best float: first, Andreas Sporting Club; second, Tamaqua Area Youth Soccer Association, U8, U6, fourth-grade girls; third, Lehigh Carbon Community College.
Best marching group: first, Tamaqua Knee High Cheerleading, second, Dance Factory; and third, Tamaqua Area High School Raider Band.
Best overall: first, Knoebels; second, Kory Rabenold Productions; and third, Coaldale Church, Home, Organization, School, Environment (C.H.O.S.E) for Beetlejuice.
The 1-mile-long parade route encompassed all of Route 209 through the community, requiring traffic control at major intersections.
The parade was televised live from the 200 block of East Broad Street. In addition, a judges’ stand was located in the center of the 100 block of West Broad Street, where R.C., the DJ from Radio T102, served as announcer.
The Tamaqua Lions Club was assisted by other groups and organizations, among them the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce, Tamaqua Wireless Association, Tamaqua Elks Lodge, Tamaqua Fire Police and Tamaqua Historical Society, which provided electricity for the judges’ stand.