Shelburne Halloween Parade returns Sunday

Anyone who happens onto Shelburne’s Church Street around 1:30pm on the Sunday before Halloween will be swept up in a maelstrom of young trick-or-treaters mounting flatbed trucks covered in hay bales. These are the complex and colorful “floats” that are such an integral part of the Halloween Parade. Shelburne community’s children show up dressed in costume to ride or march beside the floats and be part of the 40-year-old tradition. The parade begins Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2pm at the intersection of Falls Road and Church Street.

First organized by the local police department as a way to “keep kids busy and out of trouble” on Halloween, the event has been continued under the direction of the Charlotte Shelburne Rotary Club, alongside the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, who hosts the après-parade festivities at the town gym.

After the parade ends, the party shifts to the fire station from 2:30-4pm, where there will be lots of free food, drinks, and musical entertainment. Meanwhile, at the gym during the same time period, the Shelburne Parks and Recreation Department and the Rotary Club of Charlotte-Shelburne will host the costume contest, trick-or-treating, games, candy, and raffle prizes, all with the support of community businesses.

As the parade has grown in size, increasing safety concerns led to the inclusion of new safety guidelines. The guidelines are meant as a way to protect members of the community and to allow a fun and safe continuation of Shelburne’s long-held tradition for years to come.

Don’t forget to bring a non-perishable food donation along with you to the gym for the Shelburne Food Shelf, and receive a special Halloween prize.

Still interested in entering a float in the parade? Please contact Judith Christensen at jachrist@uvm.edu or 985-2034 with questions or for pre-registration.