Saucon Valley Soccer players ride on a float in the 2022 Hellertown Halloween Parade. This year’s parade is Sunday, Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. (FILE PHOTO/By Chris Christian)
It won’t be long until the sweet sounds of the Hellertown Halloween Parade fill the air in the borough.
This year’s parade will be held Sunday, Oct. 22 beginning at 2 p.m., and the air should feel seasonally crisp for anyone who is marching in it or watching it.
Temperatures will be in the mid-50s, according to the latest National Weather Service forecast, with breezy conditions and sunny skies prevailing.
The parade route is a loop that begins and ends at the Saucon Valley School District campus entrance at the intersection of Panther Way, Walnut Street and Constitution Avenue.
The parade marches down Walnut to Main Street; Main to Water Street; Water to Rentzheimer Drive; Rentzheimer to Durham Street; Durham to Constitution; and back to the starting point.
Residents and visitors should be aware that all roads within and around the parade route will be closed to traffic by 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and will remain closed until the conclusion of the parade. With barricades in place to keep cars out, residents who live within the parade route loop will not be able to enter or leave the area while the parade is in progress.
Police will try to locate the owners of vehicles that haven’t been moved off the route by then, but if they are unable to do so cars will be towed, borough officials said in an email Thursday evening.
They also said that anyone traveling through Hellertown should expect to encounter delays around the time of the parade, because of the detours that will be in place for traffic.
The theme of the 2023 parade is Celebrating Hometown Heroes, and prizes will be awarded to parade participants in a number of categories.
Updates about the parade–before, during and after it is held–can be found on the Hellertown Halloween Parade Facebook page.
After the parade, there will be a community party held in Dimmick Park from 4 to 6 p.m., with everyone invited to attend.
Flirtin’ with the Mob will perform on the park stage and a number of local food trucks and beverage purveyors will be on hand. Among those you can expect to be there are Nick’s BBQ, Cactus Blue, Kona Ice, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck and Lost Tavern Brewing. There will also be free hot dogs and water (until it’s gone) for guests at the party, thanks to support by local business donors.
The entire six division parade is made possible thanks to support by local individuals and businesses, some of which annually sponsor the marching bands that participate in it. The all-volunteer parade committee is chaired by Mayor David Heintzelman. Some of the volunteers will be collecting donations along the parade route that will help fund future Hellertown Halloween parades.
The Hellertown Post Office also supports the parade by operating a candy refill station at the post office, which is located near the mid-point of the parade route. Volunteers from the post office help keep parade participants’ candy supplies well-stocked by giving them more treats to throw along the back section of the loop. All of the candy supplied is donated to the post office each year.
Residents are also reminded that Trick-or-Treat in the borough of Hellertown will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. A trunk or treat event sponsored by the Hellertown Area Library will be held the same day–Halloween–from 5 to 7 p.m. in Dimmick Park. A live performance by the Saucon Valley High School marching band will be held in the park bandshell during trunk or treat.
There is no rain date for either the parade or Trick-or-Treat.
