Halloween keeps getting closer and closer, and I could not be any happier. I love Halloween and so does Alton, my home town. Every year, Alton holds a Halloween parade for the festivities and it is always very successful. People from surrounding towns join in. Even traditional trick or treat night does not stand a chance next to the Alton parade. This year however, the people that are in charge of putting on the parade have left me a little stunned.
Anyone can enter in a float but this year some regulations have been changed that, in my opinion, should not have. Usually floats would have to put down a $200 deposit that they would get back at the end of the parade. This year’s participants will not be receiving that money back, it is now a fee. This particularly surprises me because I was under the impression that the committee was all volunteers. I do not think that the expenses to put on the parade are big enough to charge each float $200. Also everyone must be in costume, even the people that are walking next to the float to keep kids out of the way of the wheels. Wouldn’t this harm your mobility? What if a kid was about to get hit? Another change is that every float must go along with the overall parade theme, fall harvest, or it must be decked out with black and orange. Now this might not seem as bad as the others but every year the theme of the individual floats have always been up to the peoples or groups entering the float. I have always thought that this is what makes the parade great, the unique and different themes. A new policy this year is that no pets can walk with you.
Now there is one new policy that changed for the better. If there is a child under the age of 12, the person responsible for picking that child up must make arrangements with police department or the child cannot participate. This way the people in charge of the parade will not be responsible for babysitting after the festivities. The biggest change for me is the date. Every year the parade was on the 31st, this year it was moved to 30th. This is a huge deal to the residents of Alton. Although kids can trick or treat either one of these nights, the night that was not conflicting with the parade was always the busier night. I’m worried that the word about the date change is not getting out enough. Are people going to be aware that the nights were switched or has my Alton Halloween tradition just ended?!
I don’t really have an opinion about most of the new policies, but I don’t agree with charging a $200 fee. What is the fee paying for? If it is a volunteer committee that doesn’t really have to put money into the parade because it’s based on individual floats then I don’t see a point in charging a fee. Or if a fee is absolutely necessary, I would think that a smaller amount would be more appropriate.
I’d be afraid that more people might not submit a float since the cost is so high. If I had participated in previous years and found out that the $200 would not be returned, I would not be inclined to participate again.
Wow I did not know any of this!! and I am from Alton. They are definatley not getting the word out. I do not agree with the $200 charge. I really think this will affect the parade. Alton’s Halloween parade has been on of the best for a long time. The fun of it was seeing the DIFFERENT ways all of the floats were decorated. Hopefully after this year which is sad to say will probably not be the best turn out they will change it back!