By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
Groveport Madison High School Marching Band trumpet players got into the spirit of Halloween by performing in costume at the city of Groveport’s Halloween Block Party on Oct. 31 in downtown Groveport
Groveport is a town that embraces the fun of Halloween.
Walking down Main Street and along Front Street under a waxing moon on Halloween night, I saw many homes and businesses decorated elaborately for the holiday. But it’s not just these two streets that do it up big at
Halloween because displays could be seen throughout the neighborhoods in town.
On Front Street alone I saw a house guarded by a tall T-Rex skeleton; another home decked out in the theme of the film, “The Shining,” complete with creepy ghostly twins in the window; a house with a smokey graveyard that had a lurking werewolf; and a house where a mad scientist did her mad work.
Costumed trick-or-treaters packed the streets
as they collected their sweet treats before heading to the annual block party on Front Street.
Costumes ran the gamut from the traditional horror of witches, skeletons, devils, ghosts, grim reapers, deranged clowns, and werewolves; to the unusually inspired, such as a heavy metal guitarist, a Rubik’s Cube, King Neptune, some elves, a nun, and a doughnut with sprinkles. Costumes depicting critters were a presence also including tigers, cats, a cow, a chicken, dinosaurs, a shark, and a deer. Wonder Woman was there as was Batgirl. A knight in armor clanked about.
I overheard a young mother, who seemed as happy and eager to be trick-or-treating as her small children, say to her kids, “Come on, let’s go to this scary house! It looks fun!” “Yeah!” her kids enthusiastically replied.
Groveport Police Sgt. Josh Short marveled at the Halloween scene on Front Street.
“I talked to some people who were visiting here from out of town for Halloween just tell me, ‘Groveport does it right,’” said Short.
Groveport resident Kathy Frank, who was wearing a tall colorful hat and handing out candy, said, “I think this is great!”
At the block party the Groveport Madison High School Marching Band performed, with many of the musicians in costume. The Cruiserettes also gave a performance.
The Groveport Lions Club held its annual costume contest, as it has done for about 60 years or more.
Looking around I could see happiness everywhere with people immersing themselves in the fun of Halloween.
As the evening waned and the moon rose higher, the crowds on the streets began to thin. I walked down Main Street towards home, like I have many times in my lifetime. In the quiet of my walk, I passed an old brick house on Main Street whose only Halloween decoration was a solitary carved jack o’lantern, lit by the flame of a single candle, sitting on the front steps. It’s orange, fiery glow defied the night. Seeing it triggered memories for me of Halloweens past when, as I kid, I loved seeing lit jack o’lanterns when I climbed the porch steps of many a house in town for trick-or-treat.
I paused and looked at the jack o’lantern a moment before walking away to let it continue its job of staring into the night and warding off whatever goes bump in the night.
