Sunny Skies Expected Sunday for 18th Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade

Ghosts, witches, Lego characters: Clear your calendar on Sunday, it’s time for the 18th Annual Del Ray Halloween Parade.

It should be perfect weather for a parade. The National Weather Service forecast is for sunny skies with a high of 69 degrees on Sunday. From 10am to 5pm, Mount Vernon Avenue will be closed from Monroe Street to Commonwealth Avenue to accommodate the parade. There will be limited access to the cross streets. Expect heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area.

The parade will begin at 2 p.m.; judging will start at 1:30 p.m. for the Best Decorated Stroller (get your strollers in line by 1:15 p.m.) and Best Pet Costume contests. The parade is free and anyone may attend.

The parade is sponsored by the Del Ray Business Association (DRBA). Sponsors and financial contributions, goodie bag contributions and volunteers are always needed. The primary sponsor is Jen Walker, sponsor of Best Decorated House. Other sponsors are Bobi Bomar, sponsor of Best Decorated Stroller and Paul Haire from Your Dog’s Best Friend sponsor of the Best Pet Costume.

Parade Location

The parade will start at Mt. Vernon Avenue, south of E. Bellefonte, and continue down to the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center play fields at Mt. Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues. Children, pets and strollers in costumes are invited to march and show off their finest and scariest Halloween garb.

Awards

Awards will be handed out in the following categories:

• Best Pet Costume
• Best Decorated Business
• Best Decorated Home
• Best Decorated Stroller

Stroller entries must register by 1:15 p.m. the day of the parade at the corner of Mt. Vernon and E. Howell avenues. Look for a long string of orange balloons and signage. Once registered, strollers will line up on Howell to be judged prior to the parade. There is no fee to register and there are lots of wonderful prizes donated from local businesses.

Stroller categories are:

• Creative
• Humorous
• Best Group or Family
• Less is More
• Overall

Pet costume registration also begins at 1:30 p.m., on Mt. Vernon south of E. Howell Ave. Look for signs.

Pet categories are:

• Creative
• Team
• How Could You Do This to Me
• Vola Lawson Best of Show

There is no registration required for children and families who march in the parade; they should gather at Mt. Vernon Avenue, south of E. Bellefonte.

Awards will be presented at a brief ceremony following the parade. Also after the parade, look for free refreshments (hot dogs donated by 7-Eleven, cider, and cookies) and goodie bags for the children (including, as long as they last, healthy bags that will not have any candy). Mars Rodeo will perform. The Alexandria Jaycees will host Goblin Games and activities for the children, like Bowling for Bones, Pin the Wart on the Witch, Skeleton Toss, Monster Mash and Ghost Drop.

After the parade from 5–8 p.m. families can enjoy a Spooky Bean Halloween Haunted Graveyard (free of charge) constructed by Bean Creative. The Graveyard is located at the grassy lot next to the business at Mt. Vernon and E. Del Ray Avenue. Donations are accepted at the gate to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Volunteers Needed

If you would like to help stuff 2,000 goodie bags, come Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. to the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center. Volunteers are also needed on the day of the parade. If you are able to volunteer on either day, click here and sign up..

For more information or to volunteer, contact: Gayle Reuter at delrayhalloweenparade@yahoo.com or as the dates gets closer, check out www.visitdelray.com.The Del Ray Business Association (DRBA) will collect and distribute Halloween costumes for children who would otherwise go without.

Drop off new or gently used costumes to Caboose Café, 2419 Mt. Vernon Ave., The Store, 2301 Mt. Vernon Ave., BB&T, 1901 Mt. Vernon Ave., or ROAM, 114 E. Del Ray Ave. Costumes will be distributed Saturday, Oct. 25, from 2-4 p.m. at the Mt. Vernon Recreation Center, 2701 Commonwealth Ave. Especially needed are larger sizes.
Help hand out the costumes on Saturday. To sign up to volunteer and see the other volunteer opportunities for the Parade, click here.

PHOTO of previous parade participants from Patch archive