ST. CLAIR -- One community in Schuylkill County got a head start on the Halloween celebration!
The annual St. Clair Halloween Parade wrapped up Wednesday night.
There were bagpipers, beauty queens, cheerleaders and bands in Schuylkill County.
Folks lined the streets with chairs hours before the parade started, trying to get front row seats to see all the action.
The popular Halloween parade drew thousands of onlookers out to St. Clair to catch a glimpse of their favorite characters and candy.
Gina Bezza of St. Clair showed Newswatch 16 some of the candy she had from the parade, "Smarties, Nerds, Fruit Chews, Tootsie Rolls, and Skittles!"
Veterans marched in the parade along with dancers as well as those tossing out candy to the spectators around them. The options seemed endless in the family friendly event.
"People come from all over. People put their chairs out early and it's a really great group effort and fundraisers, and a nice night to get out," said the parade's co-chair, Susan Miller.
John Gall has seen every parade since this event first started, 57 years ago. John is sharing this parade with his family spanning across five generations. He says the event is a family must do every year.
If those watching the parade became hungry, all you had to do was walk down to the Alert Fire Company. The company was selling burgers as well as pulled pork sandwiches.
Captian Carl Skroback says the parade is one of the fire company's biggest fundraisers of the year.
"As a volunteer fire company, it's really hard for us to raise money. You know we do have grants and everything, but at the same time we still have other stuff to pay for that grants do not cover," said Skorback.
According to organizers, the warm weather helped make the parade one of the most successful in recent memory.