Could the Hanover Halloween Parade be axed? The parade needs your help

Harrison Jones, Hanover Evening Sun

Forget ghosts and ghouls — is there anything scarier than not having a Halloween parade? A lack of volunteers has put Hanover's popular Halloween event at risk of suffering a demise not unlike one of Michael Myers' victims.

According to a release by the Hanover Area Jaycees, which has hosted the annual Hanover Halloween parade for the last 81 years, only six volunteers have been signed up for the 2024 parade as of Aug. 13, 2024.

The parade is set for Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., starting at Wirt Avenue and parading down Baltimore Street to Third Street.

Participants and floats parade up Baltimore Street during the 2021 Hanover Halloween Parade, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in downtown Hanover.
Participants and floats parade up Baltimore Street during the 2021 Hanover Halloween Parade, Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in downtown Hanover.

Without additional volunteers signing up, the parade will likely be canceled, the release said.

"We can't wait until last minute for sign ups, as the parade will be canceled if we don't get enough help, and it will be out of our control," the post read.

Volunteer marshals at the parade assist with keeping vendors and crowds off the street, keeping eyes out for any issues, closing gaps in the parade line up area, and other tasks around the parade route.

Anyone who participates at the parade as a volunteer marshal must be 21 and over, according to the Jaycees, though adults aged 18-20 and parents with children aged 13+ are encouraged to help with set-up and clean-up.

Scenes from the Hanover Halloween Parade on Thursday, October 26, 2023.
Scenes from the Hanover Halloween Parade on Thursday, October 26, 2023.

Even if a prospective volunteer is not able to help the entire night, the Jaycees are looking for anyone who can assist in any period of time between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. on the day of the parade. The most help is needed during the parade, according to the Jaycees.

Interested in helping out? The Jaycees provided an online form for volunteers to sign up at https://tinyurl.com/2024hanoverhalloweenparade.

Anyone with questions on volunteering at the parade is encouraged to reach out to the Jaycees at hanoverareajaycees@gmail.com.

Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for the Evening Sun. Reach him at hjones@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Hanover Evening Sun: Hanover, Pa. 2024 Halloween Parade in need of volunteers

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