ALTON - Hundreds of community members turned out to the 107th Alton Halloween Parade.
On Oct. 31, 2024, the Riverbend community flooded the streets of downtown Alton to celebrate Halloween. With 85 participants in the parade and several hundred spectators, the event was one for the books.
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“It warms my heart,” said Alton Mayor David Goins. “All the stuff that you deal with on a daily basis, sometimes the negativity that you’ve got to deal with, you can just kind of push that all aside and just have a moment to just enjoy and have fun.
For Goins, the parade is “a big family affair.” His family and grandchildren joined him on the parade route, as did the National Council of Negro Women and Fourth Ward Alderwoman Rosie Brown.
Dr. Bruce Vest is an orthopedic surgeon in Alton who has become known for his Halloween Parade participation in recent years. Vest’s float has won “Best in Show” multiple years in a row. This year, they had a “double float” with a Mardi Gras theme.
“We've been in it over 20 years,” Vest said. “We support the city of Alton. We think it's a good family event. That's why we're here.”
Madeline Eades, owner of Coco+Oak, echoed Vest’s comments. She drove a Jeep through the parade to support her daughter and Alton High School’s girls tennis team, and she noted her excitement to participate in a community event like this.
“I love being part of our community, so any sort of activity or anything that gets out there and I get to be a part of, I’m all about it,” said Eades.
You can watch a livestream of the 107th Alton Halloween Parade on RiverBender.com.
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