Costumed characters — some spooky, others sweet — paraded through Sharpsburg a week before Halloween for the third annual Lucille DeLuca Halloween Parade and Fall Event.
Accompanied by police cars and fire trucks, the parade, open to anyone in the Fox Chapel Area School District, made its way through town from the James Sharp Landing, up 13th Street to Middle Street, and Middle Street to North Canal Street, ending in Kennedy Park.
Cooper Kirsch, 9, of Sharpsburg didn’t want to be scary or spooky so she came dressed as Alice in Wonderland.
“I wanted to be beautiful,” she said.
Melissa Brokaw’s son, Darian, was 5 months old last Halloween when the Sharpsburg resident took her son around as a baby vampire. She brought him to the parade, his first, as Blue from “Blue’s Clues.”
“Now he’s just very confused seeing everyone in costumes,” she said.
Some joined the parade en route, while residents were seen spectating from sidewalks, porches and doorways. The Eagleburger Band performed near the front of the parade.
Lucille DeLuca participated as “The Witch of Sharpsburg” and grand marshal, riding in the back of a convertible BMW.
Food, treats and a variety of activities awaited participants at the park. The Rotary Club of Sharpsburg/Aspinwall provided free hot dogs and drinks to kids. At the other end of the park, pony rides were offered by Pittsburgh Pony Encounters.
This year marked the first time the parade was held on a Saturday afternoon — Oct. 24 — after the first was held on a Friday night and the second on a Saturday morning.
DeLuca, a lifelong borough resident, hoped a start later in the day, combined with the day’s near-perfect weather, would help bring more people out. The weather was especially beneficial since this was the first year the after-parade activities were all outside.
DeLuca said she came up with the idea for the parade when Sharpsburg began holding its First Fridays event because she felt there wasn’t much for children to do.
“The Halloween parade is for everybody,” she said.
Mayor Kayla Portis presented DeLuca with a proclamation honoring DeLuca and recognizing “the significance of this event in bringing our community together in the spirit of fellowship, generosity and seasonal celebration.
“The Lucille DeLuca Halloween Parade and Fall Event exemplifies the community spirit that makes Sharpsburg a wonderful place to live, work, raise a family and build lasting connections,” Portis read from the proclamation at Kennedy Park.