2018 Cranford Halloween Parade Recap

On October 28, the Cranford Jaycees in partnership with the Cranford Recreation Department hosted the 18th Annual Brian Jenkins Memorial Halloween Parade and Costume Judging Contest. There were 218 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 650 people.

The parade was led by a squad car from the Cranford Police Department. The Cranford Fire Department’s rig 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 188 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 https://cranfordtv35.viebit.com/player.php?hash=H2H9MmUW7myM.

The event was also covered by Dr. Frank Krause who captured 172 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 his businesss partner, Brian Jenkins, founded the Halloween Pumpkin Chunkin’ 18 years ago. Brian Jenkins passed away after a valiant fight against leukemia on August 31st, 2009. Brian was a co-founder of WOWindows, LLC, and owner of MagnetMailers.com.

This year’s parade also included prizes from Eye Level Learning Center of Cranford.

This year’s event was lucky with good weather, which hasn’t always been the case in the parade’s 18-year history.

In 2017, the event was limited only to the costume judging and award ceremony due to heavy rain that day. The parade and pumpkin drop were canceled that year.

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 41 winners and their costumes in each category.

Ages 0-3:

1st Place – Andrew Neff – Cranford Policeman

1st Place – Nina Bertolino – Little Red Riding Hood

1st Place – Carson Defalco - Scarecrow

2nd Place – Zoe Smith – Ms. Pacman

2nd Place – Haven Kane - Unicorn

2nd Place – Daniel Swayze – Bag of Money

3rd Place – Leo McGreevy – Farmer in Tractor

3rd Place – Luciana LaTorre – Shirley Temple

3rd Place – Ethan Croll – Scottish Golfer

Ages 4-5:

1st Place – John Neshimka – Penalty Box

1st Place – Lucas Faetano – Bruce Springsteen

1st Place – Christian DiMitrova – Scarecrow Family

2nd Place – Fiona Janus - Bar

2nd Place – Jeffrey Clevland – Captain Jack Sparrow

2nd Place – Nico Califalzo – Super Nico

3rd Place – Theodore Yoscavage – Captain America

3rd Place – Mavenna Oldielo - Cinderella

3rd Place – Margot Colangelo – Ballerina Princess

Ages 6-7:

1st Place – Anastasia – Julie, American Girl Doll

2nd Place – Miriam – Birthday Cupcake

3rd Place – Daniel - Scarecrow

Ages 8-9:

1st Place – Antonio Papapietro – Cranford Cowboy Jr.

2nd Place – Lucy Gold - Tree

3rd Place – Addison Deal – Zombie School Girl

Ages 10-11:

1st Place – Grace Davies - Dr. Caligari’s Cabinet of Horrors

2nd Place – Serafina Montana – Middle-Aged Man

3rd Place – JP Giblin – More Cowbell

Ages 12-16:

1st Place – Victoria Lemp – Genie on Flying Carpet

2nd Place – Nicole Gordon – Broken Marionette

3rd Place – Mcadow Gogliormella - Batwoman

Parent-Child:

1st Place – Pugliese Family – Candy Land

2nd Place – Kane Family – 2 Unicorns

3rd Place – Becky – Scuba Divers / Mermaid

Group:

1st Place – Currenti Family – Willy Wonka

2nd Place – Ruth – Zombie Family

3rd Place – Vanya - Scarecrows

Float:

1st Place – Sadie Gray - Exorcist

2nd Place – Joe Charlie – Headless Horseman

Pet:

1st Place – Thor (Ferrara) – Giant Ant

2nd Place – Maggie – Copa Cabana

3rd Place – Humphries – Monarch Butterfly