The rustling of the leaves and crisp October breeze are signaling that one of Medford’s biggest events of the year is right around the corner.
The Medford-Vincentown Rotary Club is making final preparations for its annual Halloween Parade, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. on Main Street.
The event, which attracts more than 30,000 people every year, takes a massive effort from the club to put together, according to Rotary spokeswoman Jen Segelken.
“It truly is a hands-on club,” she said. “We have different sub-committees just for this one event.”
Segelken is anticipating that the 2013 parade will have just as massive of a turnout as previous years. She said there are approximately 50 floats registered for the event.
The Rotary Club has held the parade every year since 1946. It got its start when the township of Medford asked the club to hold an event to keep kids out of trouble and give them something fun to do during Halloween.
Since then, the parade has grown by leaps and bounds each year and has become a huge community event, thanks to the help of local businesses and vendors that participate and help make the day special. The donations from sponsors also help to fund the costs of the parade.
“We have a lot of vendors that have food and novelties,” Segelken said. “We have a lot of very generous supporters in the community.”
The club is also looking for any donations and sponsorship money to help pay for the cost of the parade. The parade is easily the club’s largest fundraiser of the year. Funds raised go to the community projects and scholarships the club sponsors.
Segelken said sponsors are extremely involved with the event because Medford is such a tight-knit community.
“It is something that is treasured by the community,” Segelken said. “It’s a great excuse to come together, have our community leaders together in our parade.”
Participants can begin registering at St. Mary’s of the Lakes School at 5:30 p.m. Traffic to Main Street on Oct. 26 will be closed off beginning at 6 p.m.
The parade will start at 7 p.m. with the participants leaving St. Mary’s and heading east onto Fire House Lane. From there, the parade will turn right onto Main Street and end the one-mile route at Maurice and Everett Haines School.
In case of inclement weather, the rain date is Sunday, Oct. 27.
Anyone who is interested in donating to the Medford-Vincentown Rotary Club for the parade can do so at www.medfordhalloweenparade.com/sponsor.php.
