By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Werewolves bared their fangs. Ghouls rose from the grave. Ghosts haunted the streets. And wicked witches danced.
All of these monsters might have seemed like the macabre cast of a classic Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi horror film from the 1930s, but actually they were some of the costumed marchers in Sea Isle City’s frightfully fun Halloween Parade.
On a moonless night with inky black skies, the procession of ghosts, ghouls, goblins and other scary creatures rolled down Landis Avenue from 45th Street to John F. Kennedy Boulevard to the delight of thousands of spectators lining the sidewalks downtown.
Canceled last year due to the pandemic, the parade returned Friday night in all its monstrous glory. It has been a tradition in Sea Isle for more than 30 years and is one of the centerpieces of the town’s family-friendly entertainment lineup.
Sea Isle Councilwoman Mary Tighe said the parade is a hit year after year and enhances the town’s family-oriented, close-knit community reputation.
“It’s always just so much fun,” Tighe said. “It’s not a huge parade. You don’t get lost in the crowd. It’s a nice, small-town atmosphere.”
Throughout the evening, there were cheers and laughter from the spectators and costumed children. The kids loved the parade’s tradition of having marchers toss wrapped candy into the crowds. At one point, some of the children were chanting, “Candy, Candy” to have some treats thrown their way.
Kelly Salvesen, 6, was dressed in a creepy clown costume that even frightened his parents, Leif and Laura Salvesen, of Swainton. Kelly called his green outfit “Chaos Clown,” a nightmarish concoction of big fangs, crazy hair, wild eyes and a big, red bulbous nose.
“Daddy freaked out and mommy did, too,” Kelly said of his parents’ reaction.
Leif and Laura Salvesen both laughed while listening to their son. They also brought their daughters, Payton, 4, Andi, 3, and Dakota, 1, to the Halloween parade. The girls were dressed as princesses and a unicorn.
There were even some TV and movie celebrities spotted in the crowd. Beetlejuice, the obnoxious, devious poltergeist from the 1988 movie of the same name, casually mingled with the spectators, posing for an occasional photo.
Also standing in the crowd was Wednesday Addams, the Addams Family’s weird daughter known for draping herself completely in black, in shocking contrast to her pale skin.
Actually, it was Elise DeRose, a 9-year-old from Ocean View, who was dressed up like Wednesday Addams.
Asked what she liked about Wednesday Addams, Elise responded “everything” while drawing a smile from her mother, Vanessa DeRose.
“I like the movie, too,” Elise said of the Addams Family film franchise.
Vanessa DeRose said her family attends the Halloween parade every year.
“It’s my favorite event of the year,” she said. “All of the vacationers go away and we are all set to have a good, family time.”
During the parade, colorful floats featuring smoke, spooky music and other special effects were among the highlights. One float was occupied by movie villains led by Cruella de Vil of “The Hundred and One Dalmatians” fame.
Even the blue, snake-like Phang, the mascot of the Philadelphia Union soccer team, made an appearance to thrill the children. Sporting his signature gold mohawk hairdo, Phang exchanged high-fives with the kids and posed for pictures.
Adding to the fun, a group of witches wearing pointy hats and dressed completely in black danced in a circle while waving brooms above their heads amid their cackling laughter.
The Original Hobo Band from Pitman and a Mummers string band serenaded the crowds with lively music to keep everyone dancing in the streets, including the witches.
Sea Isle fire trucks and other emergency vehicles flashed their lights and blared their horns and sirens to add to the raucous excitement.
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.
Immediately after the parade wrapped up, the celebration continued with a family-style Halloween dance party at the Excursion Park Band Shell.
Which song headed the dance party’s playlist? The “Monster Mash,” of course.
