Despite the threat of rain Tuesday evening, the precipitation held off enough to provide a window for Tamaqua's 44th Annual Halloween Parade to proceed as scheduled.

A few raindrops didn't prevent a large crowd from turning out to see the frightfully fun festivities.The parade, which was once again sponsored by the Tamaqua Lions Club, with assistance from the Tamaqua Area Chamber of Commerce and Tamaqua Wireless Association, lasted about 90 minutes, long enough for the four divisions to make their way westward on Broad Street (Route 209).Parade watchers were lined up six deep in spots along the route, many of them kids waiting for candy and other treats to be tossed their way from the floats and marchers.The grand marshals for the parade were Glenn Miller and his sons, Todd and Trevor, owners of M&S True Value Hardward, Tamaqua. Riding along in the trolley were Miller's grandchildren, Emma Dillman and Trevor's son Ethan.Tamaqua Area Citizenship Award winners Emerson Musser (2010) and Randy Gormley (2009) were also in the parade line-up.The color guard from American Legion

C.H.Berry Post 173, Tamaqua, led off the parade, which also included apparatus from many area fire companies and emergency responders.Marching bands from Tamaqua Area and Marian Catholic High Schools marched in the parade, as did the majorettes from Northwestern Lehigh High School.Cash prizes were awarded for Best of Show, as well as the top three entries in the Marching Unit and Motorized/Floats divisions.The Best of Show Award went to Tamaqua Area Animal Rescue for its elaborate animal-themed float.In the Motorized/Floats division, the top prize went to a float by the Tamaqua Public Library, which included a giant version of the book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."The second place award among the floats went to a Tamaqua Area Youth Soccer Association entry via Elm Street Associates, featuring a cage with a variety of creatures.The third place float featured the Tamaqua Area High School girls volleyball team, with the players dressed as white-faced ghouls while driven along by Hope's Towing and Collision.Among the marching units, the top prize was awarded to the Tamaqua Indians Knee-hi cheerleaders, clad in their blue and white cheering outfits and pom poms.The second place marching unit was called Nightmare on Broad Street, which included a number of spine-tingling Halloween icons, including Freddy Krueger, Jigsaw, Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees.Third place among the marchers was Taylor Lehman, for his dogcatcher entry, pulling two dogs in a small cage.Judges for the parade included Timothy Stahl of the Tamaqua Lions Club; Connie Ligenza of the Tamaqua Area School District; Maureen Donovan of Lehigh Carbon Community College; Mike Prock of Mauch Chunk Trust Company; and Jack Kulp, a Tamaqua Area Chamber member.