Costumed partiers take to streets for annual parade

The 31st annual Halloween Parade, presented by the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, will take to the streets on Sunday, Oct. 28.

The parade will begin at noon at the Park Street parking, where participants will receive goodie bags. The parade kicks off at 1 p.m, rain or shine. The parade will proceed down Elm Street to Main Street and then loop back up Elm Street, which will be closed to vehicular traffic.

The party at the Park Street lot will include Ryyan Taylor, aka DJ Hova-T, sponsored by Toddlertime Nursery School. Participants can enter into the "Best Dressed Family" contest, sponsored by Venture Photography, which is donating the "Family Sitting Package" to the first-place winner. Prudential Realty's Sunshine Kids, Arts for Healing, Doubletree-Norwalk, Kempo Martial Arts, Suzy Said and the Village Critter Outfitter will be on hand with treats and activities. Village Critter Outfitter will ask attendees to help select the winners for this year's Cutest, Scariest and Best Costumed Pet.

Other sponsors include Avgerinos Construction, the Bank of New Canaan, Dunkin Donuts, New Canaan Advertiser, NuRenu Brand Marketing, Baskin-Robbins, Brueggers Bagels, Dr. Mark DeWaele, Dr. Anna Simonis, Healthfare, Kempo Martial Arts, Mackenzies, Mobil, Prudential Realty, TD Bank, The Toy Chest and Walter Stewart's Market. New Canaan resident and CEO of Pez Candy, Joe Vittoria has donated for the seventh year Pez Candy dispensers for the goodie bags.

The Pop Up Park will be set up during the parade and the School of Rock will be serenading marchers to "MonsterMash," "Werewolves of London" and possibly "Ghostbusters." This year's grand marshals are Alice and The White Rabbit from the New Canaan High School's Nov. 16 and 17 production of "Alice in Wonderland," as well as "Pinkalicious" from the Summer Theater of New Canaan.