Ghouls and goblins, superheroes and villains, witches and werewolves stormed the streets of downtown Glen Cove on Saturday, Oct. 29, as the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District held its annual Halloween Parade and Festival in Village Square.
After parading down the street, children trick-or-treated at downtown businesses and enjoyed the festivities in the streets. The festival included bounce houses, games and prizes, dancing to a DJ, a circus act and free cotton candy.
A highlight for many participants was the costume contests. Taking first place for Best Hero, sponsored by American Paving and Masonry, was Geraldine Gagliardi, 4, who dressed up as Bat Girl. Brothers Adam and Branden Maitland, 9, took first and second place, respectively, for Best Villain, sponsored by How Can I Help Elder Care; Kai Kielczewski, 14, won Scariest Costume, sponsored by The Regency Assisted Living; Evan Sachs, 10 months, took second place for Most Creative Costume, sponsored by Clay Nation.
In the ages 0-4 category, sponsored by Deep Roots Farmers Market, Little Red Riding Hood Elizabeth Palazzo, 1, won first place and Leilani Mora, 2, took second; Hailey Kochisarli, 6, won first place in the 5-8 category, sponsored by Charles Hoffman Dentistry/Glen Cove Oral Surgery and Dental Implants; and in the ages 9-12 category, sponsored by Celeste Gullo, All State Insurance, The Sanderson Sisters Amanda Kurre, Sophia Kurre and Layla Palazzo took first place while Go Go Girl Valentina DiMaggio won second prize.
The final activity of the afternoon was the pie eating contest: seven contestants had about four minutes to eat an entire apple pie. While all managed to eat a good portion of the sweet pastry, Sam Palazzo, 10, emerged the winner.
“The Halloween Parade and Festival for children has been a tradition for families in downtown Glen Cove for over 20 years,” said Patricia Holman, executive director of the Glen Cove Downtown BID, “and this year proved to be another success. We had an excellent turnout and a full afternoon of activities.”
In addition to the costume contest sponsors, Glen Cove Eye Care sponsored the Witch’s Broom Race, Glen Floors sponsored the Jack O’Lantern Hole-in-One, and John Perrone—State Farm Insurance Agency sponsored the cotton candy. The YMCA sponsored a game of corn hole, and American Paving and Masonry sponsored the entertainment.
