Marching to the Halloween beat

The streets of downtown Stoneville were already clogged with cars and pedestrians by 1:30 p.m. Wednesday – a good 15 minutes before the start of the annual Stoneville Elementary School Halloween Parade.

Parents, downtown merchants and curious onlookers watched as the school’s pre-kindergarten through second-grade students paraded from the school down Main Street to Henry Street and back. Parents with cameras recorded the march of their costumed youngsters, pausing only to wave or give a hug as they passed by their posts.

Costumes ranged from girls dressed as brides, princesses or witches to boys temporarily becoming ninjas, superheroes or firemen. But no matter the costume, one thing marked every participant – a big smile.

“Everybody loves this event,” said Stoneville Elementary principal Debbie Claybrook. “People in the community know this happens every year and make it a point to come out just to watch.”

Claybrook said the event has been going on for 20 to 25 years and always attracts a crowd.

“I remember when I was in high school here, we used to have what we called a ‘snake dance’ at Halloween where we got together and wove through the streets of town,” she said. “This sort of developed from that for the younger kids.”

Even the drivers temporarily halted during their drive through the downtown intersection could not help but smile as the assortment of tiny ghosts and goblins marched down the sidewalks.

Claybrook said she saw a construction worker sitting in his truck smiling and waving at a student dressed like him – complete with hard hat.

“It causes a bit of traffic jam for short time,” said Stoneville police officer Frank Moore. “But you just can’t help but enjoy it. It’s as much fun for the spectators as it is for the kids.”