VERO BEACH – The 52nd annual Halloween Parade and Costume Contest will go on as planned in Vero Beach after members of the community and businesses stepped up to help foot the bill.
The event, and others like it, were in jeopardy after the Vero Beach City Council cut special events from the Parks and Recreation budget. The department was left to find sponsors from within the community to save the special functions.
“We’re going to have it like we’ve always had it,” Parks and Recreation Director Rob Slezak told the Parks and Recreation Commission at a recent meeting.
Mulligan’s Grille & Raw Bar and Dyer Auto – through its Dyer Difference Award – are the event’s corporate sponsors.
The Halloween Parade will line up at the Vero Beach High School Freshman Learning Center starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30.
The parade will start at 10 a.m., traveling north on 14th Avenue to the Vero Beach Community Center, where there will be a costume contest.
Prizes will be awarded to those ages infant to 17 for Best Costume. All ages, however, are encouraged to dress in costume.
All children, regardless of costume, will receive a goody bag.
The Parks and Recreation Department is still seeking parade participants and floats, though it is prohibiting political organizations. There is no entry fee to participate.
For more information about the Halloween Parade and Costume Contest, call Gaby Dwyer at (772) 567-2144 or (772) 231-4787.
