By Donald Wittkowski
As if on cue, a spooky, London-like fog descended on the streets of Sea Isle City on Friday night just in time for the start of the Halloween parade.
Then, a procession of ghouls, ghosts and goblins emerged from the misty haze to add to the frighteningly fun time.
If that wasn’t scary enough, things took a really terrifying turn when some parade marchers showed up wearing Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump masks.
Clad in a red, white and blue tie and waving a miniature American flag, 9-year-old Zac Azotea of Egg Harbor Township drew a lot of attention while wearing his Trump mask.
“I thought I would dress up like Donald Trump because it would be fun and cool,” he said.
When asked who would win the presidential election, Zac emphatically answered with one word: “Trump,” he said, drawing laughs from some onlookers.
Throughout the evening, there were cheers and laughter from thousands of spectators lining the sidewalks as the parade made its way down Landis Avenue between 45th and 40th streets in the heart of downtown.
The celebration continued with a family-friendly Halloween dance party in Excursion Park right after the parade.
A handful of colorful parade floats were accompanied by Sea Isle City police cars, fire trucks and ambulances flashing their lights and blaring their horns and sirens.
The Original Hobo Band from Pitman and the Mummers Pennsport String Band from Philadelphia serenaded the crowds with lively music to keep everyone dancing in the streets.
Providing some extra horsepower for the parade were new and vintage Chevrolet Corvettes, revving their loud engines to delight the spectators as the cars crawled along Landis Avenue.
Sea Isle Councilwoman Mary Tighe said the Halloween parade attracts a big turnout every year and enhances the town’s reputation for family-style fun.
“People come here specifically for this parade. It’s small, but mighty,” Tighe said. “This is why we do it. It brings families together.”
Angela Beard, of Sea Isle, said her 2-year-old son, Jack, had been looking forward to the parade for a month. Jack was dressed in a fireman’s costume, complete with a red helmet and a miniature fire truck.
“He was telling everyone that he was going to wear this costume,” Beard said. “He never changed.”
Asked what he thought about the parade, Jack, perhaps inspired by all of the costumed dogs that were on the sidewalks, replied “ruff-ruff.”
Well, at least he didn’t say “Boo!”
