2016 Halloween Parade Recap

On October 30, the Cranford Jaycees in partnership with the Cranford Recreation Department hosted the 16th 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 approximately 1,000 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 234 between the ages of 0-11.

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://cranford.com/tv-35/. Click on the link for “Online Streaming” and then search for “Halloween2016”.

The event was also covered by Dr. Frank Krause who captured 119 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 Pumpkin Chunkin’ 16 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 16 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. Any unclaimed awards are at the Cranford Recreation Center:

Ages 0-3:

1st Place – Lucas & Olivia – Old Man / Old Lady

1st Place – Fiona Ross – Old Lady

1st Place – Cotton Grillo – Thomas Conductor

2nd Place – Addy Wolf – Butter Me Up

2nd Place – Carmac Salinger - Rocket

2nd Place – Lorelei Planer – 80’s Workout Girl

3rd Place – Lily Fazio - Unicorn

3rd Place – Jack Burns – Golf Caddy

3rd Place – Dean DeStefano - Hercules

Ages 4-5:

1st Place – Laney T. – Bumper Cars

1st Place – Johanna T. – Bumper Cars

1st Place – Brielle O. - Barbie

2nd Place – Lizzy B. - Parrot

2nd Place – Richie F. – John Lennon

2nd Place – Macey V. – Carmen Miranda

3rd Place – Adeline N. – Bubble Gum Machine

3rd Place – Emily M. - Raccoon

3rd Place – Miriam S. – Birthday Cupcake

Ages 6-7:

1st Place – Michael Neshimka – Headless Mad Scientist

2nd Place – Ana Klapinski - Astrid

3rd Place – Addison Deal – Zombie Cheerleader

Ages 8-9:

1st Place – Grace Davies – Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone

2nd Place – Ava Orr – Zombie Hillary Clinton

3rd Place – Jeremiah Lorenzo – Zombie Tennis Player

Ages 10-11:

1st Place – Victoria Lemp – Hawaii Snowglobe

2nd Place – Faith Williams – Kidnapping Alien

3rd Place – Nicole Gordon – Three Little Pigs

Ages 12-16:

1st Place – Sierra Ghorn - Bolbasaur

2nd Place – Abby Gordon – Castiel from Supernatural

Parent-Child:

1st Place – Dominic & Danielle – Pilot / Flight Attendant

2nd Place – Planer – 80s Workout Girls

3rd Place – Fahy – Game of Thrones

Group:

1st Place – Ed Gabel – Island of Misfit Toys

2nd Place – Currenti – Peter Pan

3rd Place – Duck – Western Family

Float:

1st Place – Sadie Grey – Head for Dinner

2nd Place – Grillo – Thomas The Tank Engine

3rd Place – Pugliese – Fisherman’s Bounty

Pet:

1st Place – Leo – Fire Chief

2nd Place – Warner - Butterfly

3rd Place – Rocco – German Boy