BETHALTO - Witches, minions, fairies and superheroes alike crowded the sidewalks of Prairie Street to experience this year’s Bethalto Rotary Club Halloween Parade.

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At the parade, which began around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, residents gathered along the parade route to get in the Halloween spirit a couple of days early. Several children were dressed to the nines for the holiday with various popular costumes. Their parents were not afraid to get involved in the action as they dressed up in costumes themselves. One father-son duo decided it would be an excellent idea to dress up like popular horror movie characters Michael Myers and Jason Foorhees from the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises.

The Civic Memorial Marching Eagles ditched their purple and black uniforms for a plethora of different costumes. Their parade tune, entitled “Cuban Coffee,” excited the crowd and really got them on their feet. as this permanent fixture of the parade is truly a favorite of many.

Christina and Bradley Weiss, along with their son Gavin, enjoyed the parade outside of the Bethalto Public Library.

“[The parade] was definitely a lot longer this year,” Mrs. Weiss said about the new route for the parade, which began at The Bank of Edwardsville on the corner of Prairie Street and Route 140. “When it was by the Boys and Girls Club, it went by too fast.”

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Gavin seemed to have had a blast at this year’s parade, having collected plenty of candy to surely keep him sugared up until Christmas.

“Look,” he said, “I got a glow stick!”

Local organizations such as the Bethalto Rotary Club, a couple of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts troops, and employees from 1st MidAmerica Credit Union all travelled along the parade route and passed out candy to the crowds.

The local police and fire departments got in on the candy-throwing action as well, throwing candy out the windows of their patrol vehicles and firetrucks.

With the change of parade route and the influx of participants in this year’s parade, the annual event is sure to grow even more in years to come.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE BETHALTO ROTARY CLUB HALLOWEEN PARADE:

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