The Nyack Halloween Parade; photo by Andrea Swenson
Fall is here and as October creeps forward Halloween is coming. I believe there are different types of fall. Imagine an autumn fall with cinnamon donuts, apple picking, hot apple cider, leaves turning to beautiful warm colors, cozy blankets, pumpkin spice-flavored things, and more. Then, imagine pumpkin carving, purples and blacks and oranges, witches, spooky movies, enchantments, and more Halloween-centered fun. Some of my favorite parts are eating candy corn, watching “The Great Pumpkin,” and buying Halloween- and/or autumn-themed drinks and treats. I love that there are multiple feels claimed by October, a month I already enjoy very much.
Just a week or two ago, there was the Spirit of South Broadway in Nyack, an event that filled the streets with local vendors, live performances, and the Halloween spirit. While that annual event has already passed, another one, the Nyack Halloween Parade, is right around the corner. The parade is always a great time that brings our Nyack community and other people together to support the floats, marching band, and join in the fun. As a member of the marching band, going down the streets with crowds cheering for us and the rest of the parade is something I always look forward to experiencing. Along with the parade, there will also be Halloween-themed paintings on storefront windows by Nyack students. I also love to see that during the fall season.
The anticipation is high for Halloween evening when trick-or-treating begins. Broadway is always a good place to trick-or-treat in Nyack as are the streets branching off of it. Last year, with the recent release of the movie “KPop Demon Hunters,” Rumi, Mira, and Zoey costumes were popular along with the inflatable alien-abduction costumes, which are always a hit. But it’s always fun to see unique costumes or unique takes on costumes, especially DIY costumes. Who knows what costumes we’ll see this year? Maybe with the release of “Forgotten Island” we’ll see Raissa and Jo costumes, more of the classic princess costumes, the inflatable dinosaurs we always see going house to house, and others.
Of course, trick-or-treating comes with tons of candy. What are people’s favorites? Some people like trying new candies, have specific favorites, or don’t like candy. Some of the candies we always see at Halloween are M&M’s, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Snickers, and Twix. Personally, a few of my friends and I prefer peanut M&M’s over the alternatives, but have you ever tried pretzel M&M’s? I also find a lot of people’s favorite sour candies are usually Sour Patch Kids. I polled my peers to find out which candies they like more: Twix or Snickers. Surprisingly, Twix won by 54%! It’s a small thing, but a divide I never knew about before.
Happy Halloween!
Sasha Weintraub is a sophomore at Nyack High School who likes writing, art, and music.