Costumed UD marching band in Newark Halloween parade Oct. 24

3:40 p.m., Oct. 20, 2004--UD’s 340-member Fightin’ Blue Hens Marching Band will be among 1,500 participants in the 57th annual Halloween parade in Newark at 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 24.

Also in the parade will be marching bands from Christiana, Newark, Glasgow and St. Mark’s high schools, as well as several Girl Scout, Boy Scout and Brownie troops, Sharon Bruen, recreation supervisor of community events for the city’s Parks & Recreation Department, said.

UD band members all will be in the costumes of their choice, Heidi I. Sarver, director, said.

“Rumor has it that the entire tuba section is going to be dressed as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and there are 19 of them, “ Sarver said. “It could be anything, I left it wide open.”

About 4,000 spectators are expected to line the parade route along Main Street, from Tyre Avenue to North College Avenue. The parade will end with trick-or-treating on Main Street until 5 p.m., Bruen said.

“It’s a wonderful family event,” Bruen said. “There’s a little bit of everything in this parade, from fairy princesses to dragons and many scary things. It’s enjoyable for everyone.”

Sarver said the UD Marching Band, which is usually on the road during the parade weekend, joined the parade to strengthen the University’s bonds with the Newark community.

“It’s going to be lots of fun and excitement, while blending the University and the community together,” Sarver said. “We live in the same town, so we are going to do anything we can do to help maintain a really wonderful, positive relationship with the community.”

The UD band’s selection of tunes for the parade will include the UD fight song and some John Philip Sousa tunes.

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

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