The Village of Pleasantville held its annual Ragamuffin Parade on Oct. 28. Excited participants dressed up as their favorite characters, ghouls, and goblins in preparation for Halloween.

Attendees were asked to line up at the Bedford Road School at 10:30 a.m. so they could begin marching down the parade route that ended in Memorial Plaza. As children, dogs and their parents marched, they were accompanied by music played by the 7th and 8th grade Bedford Road School Marching Band.

“We started practicing the parade music in the beginning of the year,” said John Vercesi, the 7th and 8th grade band teacher. “I was more nervous than the kids. This is my first Ragamuffin Parade. I had my fingers crossed everything would go okay, and they did great,” he said.

“It’s a great community event. I’m glad we can keep the tradition going and that we can keep students excited about it,” Vercesi added.

Once attendees arrived at Memorial Plaza, they were met with candy bags provided by the Pleasantville Police Department, as well as bouncy houses, face paintings, rides, and a sweet clown.

“We start planning when we start doing our fall brochure, over the summer. We start reaching out to vendors over the late summer to ensure we have a great day of festivities,” said Michael Newman, the Village of Pleasantville Recreation Supervisor.

The parade was originally supposed to be on Saturday, Oct. 27th but was rescheduled to the rain date, Sunday, Oct. 28th. Even though it was cold and cloudy, the event was still well attended.

“It’s so cute to see families dressed up together. It’s a great event for little kids and for the whole community to come together and have a good time,” said Selina Cruz, a local photographer.

“There’s a really good feeling here, everyone’s ready to celebrate Halloween. But who wouldn’t be? It’s the best time of the year.”