Rotary's Halloween Parade

When the fire siren blows and the high school band heads up Main Street tonight, how many know the Coudersport Rotary Club's annual Halloween Parade reaches back nearly 100 years?

from 2024

A piece written in 1969 by my grandfather, W.D. "Golly" Fish in The Potter Enterprise tells the story of Rotary's efforts ... and was confirmation of a story my mother told me of the night she was born 

Here are his words:

Hallowe'en pranks! Golly remembers Halloween of 1923 especially. That was the time our daughter Barbara, now Mrs. Joe Heimel, was born at the hospital on South East Street.

Retiring home to North Main Street was really like running an obstacle course. Everything that was loose was piled in the street. Doorsteps galore were in the jumbles along with pieces of porch furniture, bundles of shingles, rolls of barb wire and everything that was loose. What a mess greeted Sunday morning a few hours later. We believe it was that year Ed Stevens, small grocer, lost his wheeled popcorn or peanut cart from the front of his store. It fell off the East Second Street bridge. It never came back.

Then there was a change. Coudersport Rotary Club was established. The club took the matter in hand, organized a costumed parade for the youngsters, gave them a treat and sent them home. There was no hell-raising. All the years Rotary has performed this duty there has been no destruction.

The thanks of the whole town go to Rotary!

The October newspapers from 1924-1927 offer some insight on efforts  of local folks to stop the mayhem of All Hallows' Eve.

from 1925

from 1926

The first reference to an organized parade came in 1928 as far as I can tell from reading this in The Potter Enterprise on November 1.

 Below the headlines the following appeared in 14 pt. type.

Approximately Four Hundred Take Part In Holiday Festivities – Prizes Awarded for Best Costumes – Dr. R.H. Jones, Dr. C.H. Dudley and Mrs. Eugenia G. Benn Are Judges – Rotary Club Entitled to Credit – Next Year's Parade To Be Bigger With More Prizes – No Lawless Acts Reported.

The story goes on to tell us:

Hallowe'en was celebrated in Coudersport last evening in an orderly and fitting manner and some 400 children enjoyed taking part in the festivities, while probably a larger number of spectators stood on the sidelines and cheered the paraders. There was a great variety of costumes in the line of march – good bad and indifferent – and much originality shown.

... Kenneth Covey was first winner among the boys although his costume was that of a girl. He had to insist to the judges that he was a boy to get the five dollars.

... After the parade those taking part were treated to ice cream cones and crackerjack on the courthouse square. There has been no lawlessness reported, which proves the idea of an orderly parade is the correct one and already certain of the townspeople are planning for a bigger and better celebration next year.

The following year, Rotarians built on the foundation urging "Let's have a good time!"

I'll be standing on the sidelines this afternoon 'cheering the paraders' including the present-day Rotarians shepherding the costumed merry-makers. 

UPDATE:

Performing my annual fall move-the-furniture around ritual, this picture fell out of a photo album. Daughter Kate (the senorita) and Melanie Butler pulling their donkey (and very good sport) Denise Heimel in a long ago Rotary Halloween Parade. And in the background, good friends Arnie and Billie Haskins.