The stars alined Saturday evening with balmy temperatures, a beautiful evening sky and more kids than downtown Edenton has seen in a year. It was a memory in the making.
Jason Lowe made his Edenton Broad St. dance premier leading a highly trained choreographed team of parking lot practicing participants, dressed in thrilling attire, in a flash mob rendition of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Jackson would be proud.
The awestruck crowd gathered at the intersection of Broad and King St. as whispers of a flash mob performance travelled the lines on Broad St.
It was a A ghostly gathering of dancers, dressed in ragged cloaks, tattered formalwear and flowing strips of gauzy fabric. Pale faces, darkened eyes and painted wounds completed the eerie transformation, while a curly-haired figure in a bright red jacket stood out. The night was filled unrecognizable familiar faces, just unplaceable at that moment.
The numbers aren’t in yet, but it is estimated more than 1,000 children and family members converged on downtown, turning Broad Street into a colorful procession of costumes, candy carriers and Halloween cheer.
Youngsters from distance destinations clung to parents’ hands and held treat bags tightly as the were filled while parading past generous downtown merchants offering candy to the costumed visitors. Along the sidewalks, storefronts became stops on a Halloween adventure.
There were spooky characters and storybook favorites, superheroes and pirates, and plenty of adults who clearly enjoyed the opportunity to dress up just as much as the children. Together, they created a lively scene against the backdrop of Edenton’s historic buildings.
For the youngest trick-or-treaters, the afternoon offered a chance to show off their costumes while collecting sweets. For the grown-ups, it provided an equally good excuse to join the fun, whether accompanying children, handing out candy or making their own costumed appearances.
At Byrum’s Hardware, a towering SpongeBob SquarePants stood beside his new Patrick Star sidekick, his familiar yellow face and broad smile overlooking the activity, event when the box comes off.
Elsewhere, a gathering of characters evoked the world of “Alice in Wonderland.” White rabbit ears, a fanciful hat and a blue-and-white dress helped transform a storefront into a storybook scene. Seated outside Broad Street Bazaar, Amy and her fellow storybook characters, added another imaginative stop to the afternoon’s parade of personalities.
Superhero fans had something to admire, too. A Wolverine in bright yellow and blue, complete with extended claws, posed beside a green-cloaked, metal-masked character. Their bold costumes offered a colorful contrast to the ghostly figures appearing elsewhere along the street.
Some participants embraced Halloween’s more frightful traditions. A couple in formal attire appeared with pale faces and theatrical wounds, while others wore darkened eyes, tattered fabrics and expressions suited to a haunted house. One smiling participant sported a vivid red jacket with black trim, his face transformed by dramatic makeup
Royalty also made an appearance. A richly dressed king, wearing a crown and a sweeping robe edged with spotted white trim, mingled among the downtown crowd. His elaborate outfit demonstrated that Halloween finery was hardly limited to the youngest participants.
Porches provided their own stages for the celebration. Joe and Stephanie Wach boat another boat for the occasion and are ready for a journey. Joe and Stephanie donned ornate blue-and-gold coats and tricorn hats, as Joe sat on brick steps beside their small costumed dogs. With pumpkins nearby and a traditional Edenton porch behind them, the scene switched from Hallmark to Rockwell.
On Blount St. Larry and Mary Jo Sellers’ porch was once again the hot spot. Larry’s Halloween tradition is to pass out whole candy bars. Over the years’ the word has spread. The parade of costumes towards the Sellers’s porch was mounumental.
Humor was part of the mix as well. Two participants appeared to be carried by oversized green aliens, creating a playful optical illusion. Another wore a food-themed costume while sitting beside a supply of treats. A stand advertising fresh-squeezed lemonade added another bright splash of color.
One costumed reveler pulled a black plastic wrapped object, approximately 5’9”, weighing what appeared to be 154 lbs. resembling something out of the Godfather, that was pulled out of Lake Erie. It was an attention grabber.
The costumes supplied the spectacle, but the gathering itself was the heart of the occasion: children beside parents, neighbors alongside neighbors, and local businesses joining in a shared celebration.
For one Saturday evening, Broad Street became a place where kings, pirates, superheroes and storybook characters could all feel at home—and where the next treat was just a storefront away.
Participating merchants, Main St. Edenton, the Edenton Police Department, the Chowan County Sheriff Office and all of the volunteers that made the evening possible deserve a huge heartfelt ‘Thank You’.
That being said, those dancers, those amazing, creative, hard working dancers deserve a community standing ovation for making a memorable event an amazing evening to remember.
