Pittsfield Halloween Parade Attracts 5,000 Attendees
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's annual Halloween parade rose from the dead on Friday after a two-year absence.
Around 5,000 people lined Tyler Street to watch a procession of floats, schools, and other organizations dressed to the nine in their spookiest garb for the 76th parade.
There was undeniable excitement — and fright — in the air for the return of the event that fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
"This is one of our largest parades we have had in quite some time," Recreation & Special Events Coordinator Rebecca Manship said.
"We have a bunch of new participants, too, so that tells me that the community has missed this parade and is so excited that it's back."
See parade photos here.
Taconic High School won first place for its float titled "It’s a scary world out there without skills," which featured ghoulish creatures as various different tradespeople to represent the vocational school.
Allendale Elementary School came in second place with "Allendale's Dog House/101 Dalmatians," Capeless Elementary School third with its "Superheroes" float, Fran Morin Painting & Property Maintenance fourth with "Flying Hocus Pocus," and Carpenters Local 336 fifth with "Shot to the Moon: Captain Crook & Ghouls."
The five floats received awards ranging from $100 to $325 that were provided by Greylock Federal Credit Union.
Halloween parade coverage was co-hosted by Superintendent Joseph Curtis and Jody Spielmann of Pittsfield Community Television.
"I think it's critical because it’s been two years since we've had a Halloween parade," Curtis said.
"And it's always been a great occasion for our entire community, including our school community, to get out and really rally together as school teams and celebrate not only Halloween but a great community event."
He said the district was buzzing with excitement leading up to the parade. Students had been coordinating their contributions to the procession for about a month.
"We are so excited that the parade is back and live," Spielmann said. "We have not been able to cover this parade since 2019 so we could not wait to get out here and get right back in the thick of things"
She said PCTV loves to partner with the city and provide coverage to the community for people at home who couldn’t be there.
"It’s really great to see the spirit and energy is still alive," she added.
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