2015 Halloween Parade Recap

On October 25, 2015 the Cranford Jaycees in partnership with the Cranford Recreation Department hosted the 15th Annual Brian Jenkins Memorial Halloween Parade. There were 188 applicants across 10 categories which included Ages 0-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-16, Parent-Child, Float, Group and Pet. The crowd for the parade and pumpkin drop was estimated at more than 600 people.

The parade was led by a squad car from the Cranford Police Department. The Cranford Fire Department’s rig and the Cranford First Aid Squad’s ambulance was followed by the Cranford High School Marching Band who played with many of the band members in costume. The parade’s main event at the end was, of course, the children – the many ghouls and goblins with 95 between the ages of 0-5.

The parade ran down Walnut Avenue starting in front of the Cranford Recreation Department and then ended at the corner of North Union Avenue and Springfield Avenue. The event was capped off with the Pumpkin Chunkin’, a Cranford tradition where the Cranford Fire Department uses its ladder truck to drop a series of larger and larger pumpkins from the bucket at the top as it’s raised after every drop. The final pumpkin required two men to lift. The pumpkins were all donated by Dreyer Farms, which has sponsored the event since its inception.

A video crew from Cranford TV 35 covered the entire event including the award presentation ceremony at the end. The video can be found at: http://cranfordtv35.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=0fbb012e870e822c9f7d7bd5e8920a75.

The event was also covered by Dr. Frank Krause who captured 123 still photos which can be found at: https://cranfordhalloweenparade.shutterfly.com/. This site also has Halloween Parade photos going back to 2013.

Robert Schott, the Founder and Owner of WOWindows, LLC, was on hand to commemorate the event by giving a free Halloween WOWindow Poster to each of the winners. Robert and partner Brian Jenkins founded the Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Chunkin’ 15 years ago. Brian Jenkins passed away after a valiant fight against leukemia on August 31st, 2009. Brian was co-founder of WOWindows, LLC and owner of MagnetMailers.com.

This year’s event was lucky with good weather, which hasn’t always been the case in the parade’s 15 year history.

In 2012, preparations for Hurricane Sandy almost forced organizers to cancel the entire event. Luckily, they were able to hold the costume judging and award ceremony in the Cranford Recreation Center’s gymnasium.

In 2011, a freak October blizzard forced parade organizers to cancel the pumpkin drop. That year only the costume judging, award ceremony and an abbreviated parade with just the children were held.

These are the 39 winners and their costumes in each category:

Ages 0-3:

1st Place – Elodie Garcy - Caterpillar

1st Place – Dean Destafano - Football

1st Place – Zak Beren – POTUS (President of the United States)

2nd Place – Lucas Gaitano – Eddie Munster

2nd Place – Kaya Murray - Lion

2nd Place – Nicola Dasylia - Vampire

3rd Place – Lily Rosenthal – Dora the Explorer

3rd Place – Jane Folchik - Owl

3rd Place – Caroline Sinnet – Raggedy Ann

Ages 4-5:

1st Place – Claire Lenza – ‘Sky’ from Paw Patrol

1st Place – Theo Janus – Back to the Future Robot

1st Place – Macy Valdivia – Rosie the Riveter

2nd Place – Kyle Santos - Minion

2nd Place – Cayla Termini – Donut Shopkins

2nd Place – Anastasia Pugliese - Unicorn

3rd Place – Chloe Collins – Black Cat

3rd Place – Lila Griffin – Build-A-Bear

3rd Place – Aidan Hosler - Dinosaur

Ages 6-7:

1st Place – Marco Valdivia – “Dark Helmet” from Space Balls

2nd Place – Antonio Papapietro – Spider in Web

3rd Place – Jillian Davies – 5 Little Pumpkins (with Song)

Ages 8-9:

1st Place – Mary Matievsky - Foxy

2nd Place – Ava Orr – Captain Underpants

3rd Place – Nicole Gordon – Genie in a Crystal Ball

Ages 10-11:

1st Place – Jonah Horn – Rocket Man

2nd Place – Miles Horn – Whack-A-Miles

3rd Place – Bailey Croft – Voodoo Doll

Ages 12-16:

1st Place – Layla Campbell – Vanellope Von Schwartz from Wreck It Ralph

2nd Place – Matthew Fernandez – Death Eater from Harry Potter

Parent-Child:

1st Place – Emily and Miriam – Milk and Cookies

2nd Place – Planer Family – Lobster in a Pot

3rd Place – Pugliese Family – Despicable Me

Group:

1st Place – Gabel Family – The “Up” Group

2nd Place – Warner Family – Wizard of Oz

3rd Place – Currenti Family – Witch Family

Float:

1st Place – Abby Duck – SS Abby

2nd Place – Breslin – Breslin Astronaut

Pet:

1st Place – Kacey – Flying Monkey

2nd Place – Growdy – Captain America