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Chester County Press

Oxford’s Halloween Parade makes frighteningly fun return

11/01/2021 08:53PM ● By Steven Hoffman

Last Thursday evening, the benevolent spirits overseeing the atmosphere bestowed perfect conditions on Oxford for the annual Halloween Parade. The temperatures were in the mid-60s, the wind was calm, and the road was cleared for the parade participants’ trek up Third Street.

The folks in Oxford were hungry for another visit by their favorite parade, having foregone the pleasure last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  As the police car lights proceeded up the avenue at 6:30 p.m., it was obvious that the assembled crowd was eager for the parade’s arrival. Several thousand spectators lined the sidewalks from the beginning of the route on South Street to the conclusion on Route 472 at the Memorial Park. Quite a few adults and children came in Halloween costumes. The reviewing stand, staffed by local talent devotees, sat at the Locust Street intersection.

The Halloween Parade in Oxford has historically been a stand-out event in Chester County, and Oxford residents seem to have an almost Christmas-like enthusiasm for it. Sometimes it lasts more than an hour. This year, it was a bit shorter, with most of participants appearing in floats, trucks and other vehicles.

Parade chairman Jim McLeod said he was pleased with the event overall. Despite lower numbers of pedestrian participants, he said the number of vehicles offset the walkers, and it was fine.

Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles led the procession with sirens blaring, followed immediately by the Oxford Area High School Band. The musicians were dressed in what could be described as “ghoulish casual,” with some having applied scary makeup on their faces as well.

The Penn’s Grove Middle School band came shortly after the high school band and provided more of the music.

The floats and trucks demonstrated creativity on the part of their designers. Cope Construction turned its truck into a giant spider with legs made of pipes. Brandywine Septic Services adorned its truck with faux spider webs. A towing company carried a badly collapsed car sitting on top of a skeleton, and the words “don’t drink” were spray-painted on the vehicle’s remains.

Bruisers Baseball League went all out with a float that featured a pitcher, a catcher and home-plate umpire interspersed with an angel theme. Here and there, children rode little four-wheel vehicles. On foot were the Diamond Divas softball team in addition to a float, and Andrea’s Dance Studio members were decked out in white with blue face make-up.

Many people came asking if the Lincoln University Marching Band would appear, but unlike the last parade when they blew the roof off with their performance, they were not present this year. McLeod said they had been invited.

The overall winners were The Barn of Nottingham, and the first-place float was Oxford Keystone Bruiser Baseball. The high school band won the music competition, and A1 Mulch won for trucks. The Jackson family was the top pedestrian group.

As the parade ended, McLeod was quite satisfied and happy about his event’s re-emergence after a year away. 

“It was good, really great,” he said.