Boo! BC’s Children’s Hit Halloween Parade!

By Dan Guarino

The daytime shadows grew long and spooky spirits of fun roamed Cross Bay Blvd. as Broad Channel’s Dawn McIntyre Annual Children’s Halloween Parade kicked off the haunted holiday season on a sunny afternoon on Saturday, October 25. As it is each year, the event was organized and sponsored by the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department (BCVFD).

Starting to gather at 12:30 p.m. at the Channel’s 17th Road Park, the crowd of costumed creatures, family, friends and neighbors soon swelled to hundreds of participants. In the park, kids excitedly greeted each other, showing off their colorful costumes. Shortly after 1 p.m. the signal was given for the group to begin forming up. Paraders then began their march northward, following behind a 100th Precinct NYPD pickup truck packed with inflatable Halloween decorations.

The parade stretched for several blocks along Cross Bay on the bright and unseasonably warm afternoon. Spotted among the mix of marchers were an inflatable Captain Underpants, various princesses, ghosts and vampires, and multiple Spidermen, swinging in from traditional and Spider-verse comics. Also seen were velvet black cats, bats, big bad wolves and pintsized celebrities like Mickey Mouse, Garfield, Pikachu, Buzz Lightyear and Roblox game characters, and a large monkey with a banana. Creative ideas included a home-crafted steam shovel costume, and some families marched together as Disney’s Moana, Maui and company and Star War’s Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rey. Someone called out, “Great costume!” to a uniformed mail carrier making her rounds, waving good naturedly as she got into her truck.

Broad Channel neighbors came out to the curb to greet the procession and wave, step out to give candy to the kids and even bring some costumed spooky fun of their own to the parade. Along the way, NYPD officers directed traffic into the center left lane, away from the marchers’ progress, and ensured the safety of all.

Bringing up the end of the procession was the bright red BCVFD Engine 212, a veteran favorite of many neighborhood parades, blaring out the likes of “Monster Mash,” “Ghostbusters” and other Halloween hits.

The colorful cavalcade turned down Noel Road where the large, enthusiastic crowd gathered in front of the BCVFD firehouse. For weeks, the hardworking “Vollies” crew had been busy inside creating their annual haunted firehouse maze. The attraction, which would take shrieking guests winding through themed rooms, such as a haunted movie theater, a swamp and evil clown compartment, debuted on Wednesday, October 29, for five nights of howling fun. Proceeds went to support the not-for-profit BCVFD, which has protected and served the island community for 120 years.

For the children’s parade finale, Noel Road itself was blocked off from Cross Bay Blvd. to Church Road, so kids could spread out and enjoy offerings of cool drinks, cupcakes and other treats given out by BCVFD members. Other neighbors organized “trunk-or-treat” candy stations, and Broad Channel’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 260 volunteers joined in with a full table of goodies. Adults also greatly enjoyed the afternoon.

Among the large crowd were children and grandchildren of the late Dawn McIntyre, who was deeply involved with the BCVFD, Broad Channel Athletic Club and the BC community. The annual parade is named in her honor and memory.

As the event’s proceedings wound down, little costumed creatures and their companions spirited away into the afternoon, some no doubt to do a little early trick or treating.

Once again, everyone had had a frighteningly good time.

Photos by Dan Gaurino.