Pel Pkway Halloween fun

The walking dead, masked bandits and royalty from faraway kingdoms will invade Pelham Parkway later this month as the first-ever Halloween Parade is held there Oct. 26th.

“We are expecting anywhere from a thousand to 1500 kids,” boasted Edith Blitzer president of the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association.

The parade will be a first for the kids bordering the Pelham Parkway/Allerton community, with the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association partnering with the Allerton International Merchants group.

“We were trying to do something that gets good recognition,” said Gene DeFrancis of AIM who once coordinated Manhattan’s popular Greenwich Village Holiday Parade.

The Allerton contingent will link with Pelham Parkway children and parents at White Plains Rd. and Pelham Parkway South service road at 1:30 p.m. They’ll end at P.S. 105 at 725 Brady Avenue for a Halloween party sponsored by Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj and Senator Jeff Klein.

Bringing children from both sides of the parkway will serve as a show of unity for the two neighborhoods, separated by the parkway.

“As far as we’re concerned there’s one Pelham Parkway,” said Blitzer. “There’s no Mason-Dixon line.”

Pelham Parkway’s no stranger to Halloween extravaganzas, as hordes of kids dressed in all sorts of outfits shoot up and down Lydig Avenue, rushing to residential buildings to stock up on a year’s supply of sweet eats.

“The adults are worse than the children,” laughed Siegel.

With volunteers doling flyers and making the rounds, Blitzer sees the preparation of the parade as another sign of positive change for the Pelham Parkway community – including a Menorah and Christmas tree presentation at White Plains Road. followed by the holiday lights along Lydig Avenue, crediting Gjonaj for the enhancements.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the parade or for further information can reach Edith Blitzer at 917-826-4410.

David Cruz can be reach via e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (718) 742-3383