The chairs were out at noon for a 6:30 p.m. Halloween parade in Northern Lehigh on Oct. 30. By 5 p.m. the curbs were lined with blankets between the chairs.

Bonita Weaver said she has watched it every year for 40 years. This year every time a fire engine came up Main Street in Slatington she watched to see if it was her son, Slatington fire chief Keith Weaver. She thought it was the 103rd year a parade was held.A group of four teens waited patiently on a porch for an hour and said, "Yes, we like it."Damian Messinger was sitting with his parents waiting to fill a purple pumpkin with candy. Most children had the standard orange pumpkins or a bag. Damian liked the fire trucks and got excited every time one came up the street.Kids in costumes were among the parade watchers. A dog in a pumpkin costume was in style. Pumpkin costumes are No. 1 on the list of favorite pet costumes.By 6 p.m. the cotton candy vendor wearing a sombrero of pink and blue as he carried the sweet treat over his head was offering his wares to the gathering crowd.Ambulances and fire trucks were spaced through much of the parade. There were both Northern Valley Emergency Service and Northern Lehigh ambulances. Fire companies included Slatington, Friedens, Slatedale, Palmerton, Walnutport, Parryville and Lehigh Township.Nick Hawkey went to most parades and many car shows with his motorcycle this year boosting Boy Scouting on its 100th anniversary. There were many troops of Boy, Girl and Cub scouts in the parade.Laura Stauffer, head of the Northern Lehigh Events Committee, had a paper listing all registered paraders. They gathered round her asking where they were to go."The mayor's car should come down beside that convertible. You'll go down the street side by side. Bring Julie Harhart up behind the red pickup," and so it went. By a miracle of hard work everyone was in line when the parade started.From three blocks away the Northern Lehigh Band could be heard tuning up.Mayor Walter Niedermeyer said he never saw the parade because he rides in it and till he reaches the end it is too late to get back and watch.The color guard from American Legion Allen O. Delke Post 16 walk up the hill from the post home and prepare to march down again. Participating were Jim Gourniak Sr. with the Legion flag, Dennis Ziegler with POW, Donald Leikel and Dave Altrichter, rifle squad, and Commander Gordon Giannotti with the United States flag.Those who waited were rewarded as the police flipped on their red and blue lights and moved slowly down the street.The Ladies Auxiliary of the R.W. Fritzinger Post 7215 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Walnutport, followed the color guard. Then came a car with the King and Queen - middle schoolers Stephen Scheib and Rebecca Blocker earned the honor by writing an essay about what the community meant to them.Diamond Fire Company had a truck from 1970 that was refurbished in 1989.Several dance groups participated including the Stepping out Academy of Dance.Scouts from Troop 242 had a camp scene on their float and were bragging about the 100th anniversary. But the Girl Scouts were almost as proud of their 98 years as they wished Juliette Low, founder of Girl Scouting, a Happy Birthday.Troop 58 Cub Scouts proudly proclaimed that "we support our troops."A long-armed clown scared a few children but was enjoyed by the majority.The Northern Lehigh Interact Club pushed shopping carts and collected food for the pantry.Lions from the Bowmanstown-Parryville Club were caged on their float.The older cars from the North Side Cruizers car club were covered with cobwebs while the newer models were clean.Of course, there was Santa Claus at the end. He was met with calls of "Hi Santa" and "Ho-ho-ho."