BELLE FOURCHE—State Street was crawling with ghosts, goblins and all manner of spooky creatures. Some were scary, some were sweet and some were barely old enough to walk, but all were dressed for a Halloween adventure as children, accompanied by friends and family, paraded downtown Belle Fourche on October 31 for the Center of the Nation Business Association’s (CONBA) Halloween Parade and festivities.
The annual parade has been a longstanding community tradition, organized by the Center of the Nation Business Association for 26 years, though the event is believed to have been taking place in downtown Belle Fourche for more than 30 years.
Once again, Lee Hodge of Pete’s Clothing and Hodge Bootery had the honor of leading the Halloween Parade. He was dressed as the famous white-suited founder of KFC—Colonel Sanders. He carried with him a bucket of hot, fresh fried chicken as he trekked down the middle of the street.
This year, a welcome surprise was waiting for the kids at the end of State Street—the Great Pumpkin was back at the finish of the parade, waiting to greet the costumed children when they were done with their haunting walk.
The giant orange pumpkin was a hit as costumed creatures young and old lined up to take a picture in front of it. The enormous gourd had long been a tradition standing at the end of the annual Halloween Parade, and its absence has been felt over the years.
Business owner Michelle Evans, who championed the return of the giant pumpkin, shared that people are often surprised Belle Fourche has something so iconic. She recalled taking pictures with her own daughter in front of the pumpkin and the special memories it has created for so many families over the years.
Chad Carr, owner of Carr Coatings, created and built the giant orange pumpkin. He pulls it around on a trailer, making it easy for folks to climb up on the back of the trailer and sit in front of it for pictures. Following the parade, the Great Pumpkin made its way up to the Rec Center Spooktacular Halloween Party.
In addition to the parade and the giant pumpkin, the celebration on State Street included a costume contest and trick-or-treating for all kids.
After the parade, participants began finding their way to the locations marked by age to line up and wait to be judged for the costume contest. Cash awards were given to the top three placings in each category of Prettiest, Scariest and Most Original. The participants were separated into age groups 0-2, 3-4, 5-7, 8-10 and family. First place received $15; second place received $10 and third place received $5.
Kids were invited to make their way back down State Street and stop by participating stores to trick-or-treat. Tables were set up right in front of businesses making it easy for kids to identify the businesses that were handing out candy and treats for the event.
After all of the festivities came to an end, the costumed bunch headed to the next Halloween celebration to grab some more candy and show off their costumes.
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