The township Halloween parade returned to Main Street on the weekend thanks to its host, the Medford-Vincentown Rotary Club.
The annual parade has been a long-standing tradition in Medford for 74 years and takes place the Saturday night before Halloween. The 2020 version was cancelled due to COVID.
The Medford-Vincentown Rotary Club organizes and funds the event, including the marching band, accessible bathrooms around town and clean-up. The parade costs Medford nothing, according to club member David Stow, and donations received help finance the event.
Although there is planning involved in the Halloween parade each year, Stow explained it does not have a registration cost and participation is open to anyone. The groups and families who take part are lined up in front of Haines School, first come, first served, then sectioned off in a specific category
The floats are designated by categories and numbers to identify participants that include churches and organizations, community groups and Individuals. At the end of Main Street, the judges can observe the costumes and floats, while winners are determined at Haines School. Win or not, every child who marches in the parade is given a prize.
Notable float winners in this year’s parade included Pirates In the Woods, by Famous Razor Johnstone Group for Business and Commercial; Scout Camp Out from Cub Scout Pack 300; and Jesus Take the Wheel, by Saint Mary of the Lakes. The individual winner was Dan Wister’s Pirate Halloween.
Stow spoke about how special the Halloween parade is for local residents in Medford, and recalled that before the pandemic, people would bring chairs to reserve a seat days in advance.
“It’s a tradition, it’s almost like a family tradition of coming out for the Medford-Vincentown Rotary Halloween parade,” he said “Kids have a blast, parents have a blast.”
