LINDEN, NJ — After last year’s hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, Linden’s Department of Parks and Recreation and Halloween Parade Committee brought back the city’s annual Halloween Parade, now in its 68th year. More people than usual attended the event, as schools, individuals, marching bands and organizations joined in on the fun.
During the parade, the Linden Dance Company, led by director Barbara Brady, gave the crowd a performance to remember, dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The performance proved the highlight of the evening.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead spoke about the outcome of the parade that returned to the city in such a grand fashion.
“This is an annual event that we have had for years. Due to COVID-19, we didn’t have it the prior year,” Armstead said on Monday, Nov. 1. “But (it) was very exciting to see people back out and just trying to enjoy the festivities. I was very happy to see people outside again. The event drew a larger-than-usual crowd this year, and I think that may have had something to do with the fact that we hadn’t had it the prior year. It was definitely a great parade this year.
“We usually have the parade on Wood Avenue, which starts near U.S. Highway 1 and 9 and goes all the way down Wood Avenue from there to East Curtis Street,” he continued. “Rich Koziol, who is the committee chairman, did an excellent job with the event. I’ve got to hand it to him. It was a beautiful day to have a parade, and the weather was absolutely perfect. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for a parade.”
Koziol served as the master of ceremonies of the Halloween Parade and thanked the sponsors that were involved and made the parade happen this year.
“I’d like to thank some organizations that helped make this possible,” Koziol said during his opening remarks. “I’d like to thank Gabe’s Towing and All American Auto Body for providing the transportation for our organizational floats today. … Thank you to all the very generous sponsors for making this possible.”
Photos Courtesy of Linden