Residents of the small town of Lehighton were treated to a city-size Halloween parade on Saturday.

An eight-division march, which took 90 minutes to pass and featured six bands, was held under sunny skies with comfortable, above normal temperatures.

This was the 58th annual parade and was one of the largest and most attended in recent years.

The grand marshal was Grant Hunsicker, longtime member and president of Lehighton Borough Council. He rode in the back seat of an open-top, red convertible with his wife Sandra.

Julie Harris, who was parade chairman for the 39th year, said there were 78 units in the parade, including five bands.

“It was a beautiful parade day,” she said, “one of the best we’ve had in a very long time. The bands were fantastic; the groups did a great job with their themes and decorations.”

“The spectators really seemed to be enjoying the parade,” she said.

Many of the spectators wore Halloween costumes to watch the parade. There were princesses, Superheroes, and monsters seated on the curbs, as well as participating in the line of march.

Nobody had more fun, though, than the children, as parade participants showered them with candy.

Candy prices may have risen substantially this year, but nobody seemed to notice.

Five-year-old Sofia Barreto had a small, orange pail and by the time the parade ended, it overflowed with Tootsie Rolls, lollipops and other treats.

Although Harris was thrilled with the participation, she said, “My goal is to have a 100-entry band. We were close this year with 78.”

Assisting Harris on the committee was her daughter, Erin McGinley. Erin is a third-generation committee member. Her grandfather (Julie’s father) the late Charles Harris was one of the founders of the Halloween Parade nearly six decades ago.

This is Erin’s 10th year as a member of the parade committee.

She said, “I think it was a good parade; definitely. I personally thank the spectators and the participants for making it a success.”

Erin was in charge of the music. She gave a special thanks to the Celtic United Pipes and Drums for filling-in at the last minute “and all the other bands for joining.”

Setting the tempo of the parade was the Lehighton Area High School Marching Band, accompanied by cheerleaders. The unit was comprised of over 100 members whose music never stopped.

Two other high school bands were the Palmerton High School Band and the Allentown Dieruff Huskies High School Band.

One of the most unusual floats was by George’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning. The float had individuals with plungers on their heads. Positioned at the front was a brown poop blow-up. The people on the float tossed Tootsie Rolls. The float took a first-place prize.

Lehighton Girl Scout Troop 3802 captured a top prize for its fun-filled presentation of clowns and circus characters.

There was royalty in the parade, too.

The Carbon County Fair Queen, Eva Eroh, and Junior Miss Lex Seiple rode on a 4-H float.

The Lehighton Area High School homecoming king and queen as well as the court were featured on a float.

Dance studios had their pageant winners featured, too.

Fire departments and ambulance corps from throughout the Lehighton area had vehicles featured in the parade, including an antique firetruck shown by the Mahoning Valley Fire Company.

Todd Kriner, a parade committee member, summed it up with his comment, saying, “The parade was excellent.”

Marchers and floats were judged in the parade, with the winning entries being as follows:

Boy Scouts: Lehighton Troop 183.

Girl Scouts: 1. Lehighton Troop 3802, 2. Lehighton Troop 3429, Lehighton Troop 3241, Lehighton troop 3620.

Schools: 1. (BHA) Behavioral Health Associates, 2. PathStone Child Development Center.

Sports: 1. Lehighton Volleyball, 2. Franklin Township Fall Baseball and Softball, 3. Lehighton Area Soccer.

Floats: 1. Country Junction, 2. Carbon County Drug Treatment Court, 3. Pyro Joe LLC, 4. Times News Media Group, 5. Liberty Auto Glass.

Restaurant/Bar: 1. Griff’s Ale Haus & Grille, 2. Pizza Como and Nonna’s Ice Cream.

Landscape/Hardware: 1. George’s Sewer & Drain Cleaning, 2. Custom Dreamscapes, 3. All Season’s Everett, 4. Tomsic’s World.

Car Clubs: 1. Jukebox Cruisers Car Club, 2. Kressler Racing, 3. Lehigh Valley Warter Midget Race Club.

Queen/King: 1. Carbon County Fair Queen, 2. LAHS Homecoming Court.

Real Estate: 1. Keller Williams Real Estate - Danette Troxell, 2. TNT Premier Real Estate.

Walkers: 1. Frey Smiles Orthodontist, 2. Lehighton Outdoor Center, 3. Jim Thorpe Neighborhood Bank.

Individual: 1. William Keys, 2. 1972 Cadillac Mahoning Valley Ambulance, 3. Arthur Grammes, 4. Stephanie Grammes, 5. Keith & Anna Hunsicker.

Bike Groups: 1. Post 314 Legion Riders, 2. B.A.C.K. Bikers Against Cop Killers.

Dance/Arts: 1. Dance With Kim, 2. Tumble With Denise.

Churches: 1. People’s EC Church.

Clubs: 1. Lehighton Area Leo Club, 2. District 5 Auxiliary.

Homecare: 1. Stahler’s Brothers Services, 2. AOK Heating A.C. & Electrical, 3. Vlossak HVAC, 4. Alan’s Home Remodeling.