Chair Warning Issued Ahead Of 80th Toms River Halloween Parade

TOMS RIVER, NJ — As the final hours tick down to the 80th annual Toms River Halloween Parade, officials are reminding those trying to lock in their viewing spots along the parade route to follow the rules.

Chairs began popping up along the parade route on Monday ahead of Wednesday's parade. Carl Weingroff of Toms River Fire Company No. 1, the parade chairman, said chairs cannot be put along the route ahead of the parade unless they are secured so they cannot be blown into the road and are not blocking access to fire hydrants or driveways.

"This is NOT a new rule," Weingroff said in a post on Facebook.

The rule has been in place going back several years, in part due to conflicts and complaints that arose as more people tried to reserve spots along the parade route, that draws thousands of spectators each year. It was named by the Guiness Book of World Records as the second-largest Halloween parade in the world, between participants and spectators. Its popularity led to people putting out chairs almost two weeks ahead of the parade years ago, Weingroff said. An attempt to completely ban chairs was mocked in a float in the parade one year.

Technically, chairs are not supposed to be placed until the morning of the parade at the earliest, though each year some have been put out the night before.

Chairs should be placed south of Highland Parkway, which is the starting point of the parade.

"This is a SAFETY ISSUE," Weingroff wrote. "As long as your chairs (are) properly secured down so that they do not fly into traffic causing a traffic hazard and are not blocking any driveways or fire hydrants, go ahead."

Questions can be directed to him at the firehouse, 732-349-0144.

Registration for the parade begins at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Roads in the area will close at 5:30 p.m. and the parade begins at 7 p.m.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Have a news tip? Email karen.wall@patch.com

Follow us on Facebook. Click here to like our page.

Photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff, shows chairs along the Toms River Halloween parade route in an earlier year