For half a century, the seasonal ritual of All Hallows’ Eve has been bringing fun, fright and frolic to thousands who crowd Broad Street for the annual procession of goblins, ghosts and vampires.

Tuesday night might’ve been the best yet.The Tamaqua Lions Club 50th annual Halloween parade drew an estimated 9,000 into town. They witnessed monsters, a simulated murder, and yes, even clowns. Clowns might be on the hit list elsewhere right now due to the recent panic, but not so in Tamaqua. They were aplenty.The large number of spectators was a hot topic.“This is the biggest parade I think we’ve seen,” said Major Sharon Whispell of the Tamaqua Salvation Army. Whispell drove a vehicle along the procession and described heavy crowds on both sides of Route 209 for the entire route.“We had two 5-gallon buckets of candy to hand out and ran out about two-thirds of the way through the parade,” she said, adding that her group also handed out United Way bracelets promoting the 211 number for human services.Betty Clausius Bobick had her hands full as a volunteer, putting in mileage as a sidewalk runner during the four-division parade.“My husband is with Tamaqua Wireless and I’m the runner for the lineup sheets,” she said. “They said on the radio that Tamaqua has one of the biggest parades in the area.”It’s no secret that the two largest Halloween parades in Schuylkill County are found in Tamaqua and St. Clair.“Tamaqua has one of the best parades,” said Linda Whetstone, nanny to two youngsters, Moana and Lasen Hudak. Watching the excitement, the Brockton resident said it’s definitely a highlight.“It’s family oriented and they’re very generous with the children,” said Whetstone. In fact, little Moana marched in the parade with a broken foot.“I fell down,” said Moana, 9. “It’s the fifth metatarsal. But the doctor said I could do it.”The 90-minute parade wasn’t just about marching. It included music, entertainment and theatrics.DramaOne float, sponsored by Dreammaker Studios, carried a crew that performed a chase scene followed by a realistic chainsaw and bludgeoning murder, grabbing first place for best overall entry.There were plenty of other spectacular feats.Acrobatic dancer Brenna Beshock, 12, of Summit Hill, performed an aerial cartwheel in front of the judges as her group danced to the “Munsters” theme song. It’s a gymnastic stunt that defies gravity, basically a cartwheel performed without hands touching the ground.Beshock has mastered the move and was able to do it on the macadam street without use of a safety mat.Her group, The Dance Factory, was filled with amazing performers who wowed judges and grabbed first place as best marching group.Some parade participants made it to the lineup just in the nick of time.“We just got back from a fire in Walker Township,” said former fire chief Tom “Oakie” Schlorf, driving a truck for South Ward Fire Company.Riding up front was parade Grand Marshal Bill Yost of Hometown. Tamaqua Citizenship winner Kyle Whitley also helped to lead the procession.Judges included Lou and Judy Gordon, Tom Banditelli and announcer R. C. of T102 radio.The Tamaqua Lions Club expressed appreciation to all who participated or helped to coordinate the event, including the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce, Tamaqua Wireless Association, Tamaqua Elks Lodge, Tamaqua Fire Police, and many others.WinnersFloats1st Place:Safer Streets for Little Feet2nd Place:Tamaqua Area Animal Rescue3rd Place:The Marcin FamilyMarching1st Place:The Dance Factory2nd Place:The Eclectic Circus3rd Place:Tamaqua Area Knee HiBest of show1st Place:Dreammaker Studios2nd Place:Kurtz Brothers Glass3rd Place:West Penn Cub Scout Pack 756 Photo gallery:

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