Offi cers from the 78th Precinct kept the peace and handed out candy (left), as Sloper Wally Wallach poses in
his whistleblower outfi t (right). Photo by Derrick Watterson
BY BEN VERDE
Thousands of pint-size poltergeists
and costumed characters
gathered in Park Slope on
Thursday for Brooklyn’s largest
haunted gathering — the
33rd annual Halloween Parade!
“We had a great time,” said
Saquis Samuel, who teamed up
with his wife to dress as characters
from the X-Men franchise.
The event saw nearly 3,000
masked revelers stagger up Seventh
Avenue from 14th Street to
Washington Park, where the
procession ended in a late night
monster mash fi lled with treats
and spooky surprises outside
the historic Old Stone House.
Amid the cavalcade was
Fifth Avenue Business Improvement
COURIER L 6 IFE, NOVEMBER 8-14, 2019
District head Marc
Caserta dressed as a jelly fi sh,
Old Stone House director Kim
Maier as the spirit of autumn,
and Park Slope parenting guru
Susan Fox — as a fox!
Another Sloper opted for
a more politically topical costume
— donning a trench coat
and fedora to complete his
“whistleblower” outfi t.
“People really loved it,” said
Wally Wallach. “Even kids
knew what a whistleblower
was.”
Absent from the parade was
noted Sloper Mayor Bill de Blasio,
who cancelled his scheduled
appearance at the last
minute, but a mystifying group
of black-clad skaters — whose
identities have remained a
mystery since they made their
parade debut in the 1980s —
didn’t fail to disappoint.
“They’re mysterious ciphers
with roller skates!” said Maier,
who helped organize the event.
“It‘s one of those great things
we always hope is going to happen.”
Saquis Samuel and his family travelled from Brownsville to take part in
the festivities. Photo by Derrick Watterson
Slope spook-tacular!
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So go make today and every day the best it can be, New York City.
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