The Town of Lloyd Events Committee and the Highland Business Association partnered up to put on another successful Halloween in the Hamlet event last Saturday, Oct. 28. The weather could not have been better for an outdoor, fall event, with clear skies and only mild, seasonal coolness that made it possible for little trick-or-treaters to show off their costumes without the need for bundling up.
This was Highland’s sixth annual Halloween in the Hamlet. Now firmly established as the official local Halloween activity for the Town of Lloyd, the event kicked off as usual with the Lil’ Goblins Parade, led by the 20th Century Limited Drum and Bugle Corp. Members of the all-ages, Highland-based band played and marched while dressed in costumes, followed Pied Piper-style by a sea of costumed kids and their parents. The 20th Century Limited — which formed in 1993 and borrowed its name from a famous luxury train that once operated throughout the Hudson Valley on the New York Central Railroad — features founding members still actively marching with the corps today.
After the parade, proprietors of local businesses in the hamlet handed out treats to tiny superheroes, princesses, little mermaids and space aliens. Firepits manned by the Highland Fire Company offered glowing warm spots to gather round, with monster marshmallows available for all. And the Highland Fire Department Auxiliary handed out local cider and donuts donated by the Dubois, Minard and Wilklow Farms.
Activities were accompanied as usual by music provided by Mix 97.7 FM. Doctor Frankenstein’s Interactive Lab returned, too, a ghoulish enter-if-you-dare, scary-creepy attraction staffed by cast members of current productions who practice their acting chops by scaring their peers (and some of the parents), who lined up at length to test their bravery. The Lab was presented by Stage to Screen and located inside their building.
For those who missed it this year, Halloween in the Hamlet is sure to be back next year. Its popularity may be due to word-of-mouth from those who have enjoyed the event over the previous five years, but one suspects the parents enjoy it just as much, getting the opportunity to get together and chat in the streets closed to traffic while their little ones race around excited by the novelty of transforming into their favorite character.
Join the family! 
