Vienna Halloween Parade To Be Led By Coach Pudge: How To Participate

VIENNA, VA — As the summer wraps up, the Halloween season will be here before we know it. Vienna organizations can now sign up to participate in the 2023 Vienna Halloween Parade on Wednesday, Oct. 25, which will be led by a beloved Vienna coach.

The Halloween parade has been a town tradition since 1946. The parade along Maple Avenue is typically held the Wednesday before Halloween.

The parade grand marshal in 2023 is Coach Mark "Pudge" Gjormand, known in the Vienna community as Coach Pudge. Coach Pudge, who grew up in Vienna, has a 37-year coaching career, including at Marshall High School and Madison High School. He has been the varsity baseball coach at Madison for 28 seasons and previously coached football for seven seasons. As the winningest coach in Northern Virginia, he has led Madison to over 40 championships, including three state titles and eight times nationally ranked in the top 25 of all high school baseball teams in the country.

Coach Pudge also gives back to the community, running MVP Sports Camps for 20 years to teach youth baseball and other sports through local high school coaches and players. He has also helped over 100 former players in continuing to play baseball in college or at the professional level.

This year, the parade theme will be Cartoons and Comics. So dig out your favorite character costume or brainstorm an idea for a float.

Applications for groups to have a float or entertainment are due by Sept. 15. Participants will be chosen based on availability, entertainment value and how much they follow the theme and parade guidelines. Businesses, organizations and representatives with floats or cars need to apply for the parade.

For children and others in costume who want to march in the parade, pre-registration is not required. They only have to show up at 6 p.m. at the United Bank, 374 Maple Ave. E on parade day.

Stay tuned for more Halloween parade previews closer to the event.