ALTON - It was a great Halloween night for Sam Stemm, the grand marshal of the 109th Alton Halloween Parade.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, community members lined the streets of downtown Alton for the annual parade. But perhaps no one was as excited as Stemm, who has served the community in different capacities for decades. He shared that he was stunned when the East End Improvement Association asked him to lead the parade, but he was eager to “contribute” in a new way.
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“I was really blown away. I was flabbergasted,” Stemm said. “I find it a huge honor and very humbling.”
Stemm emphasized that none of his community service has been about securing recognition. Instead, he always contributed “a little bit here and a little bit there” to help the community. Forty years later, Stemm’s hard work has received some well-earned honor.
He added that the grand marshal recognition is especially exciting because he has spent 30 years broadcasting the parade and highlighting the grand marshals of previous years. He also marched in the parade on a couple of occasions, so he estimates he has been a part of about 40% of the 109 Halloween parades. Stemm never expected to one day lead the parade himself.
“Never once did it ever occur to me that I would be in that position,” he said. “This is kind of the cherry on top of the sundae.”
But Stemm is mostly proud to see the community come together every year on Halloween. He pointed out that this is a big event for the Alton area, and he is delighted that he was able to play a role in it.
“I think the Halloween Parade is the quintessential Riverbend community gathering, because it's all community: the people watching, the people participating, the people sponsoring,” Stemm added. “It’s all us as a community, one night every year coming together.”
