The Norwich YMCA Halloween Parade celebrated more than 80 years on Saturday and held a costume awards ceremony on the steps of the Chenango County Courthouse. (Photos from the YMCA)

NORWICH — Norwich’s annual YMCA Halloween Parade was held on Saturday, October 26, and celebrated eight-plus decades of family-supported Halloween festivities.

Organized by the Norwich Family YMCA, the parade and children’s costume contest has become a longstanding tradition.

Participants in the parade competed in several costume categories, with awards for most humorous, adorable, spooky, and original outfits.

An awards ceremony was held on the steps of the Chenango County Courthouse following the parade:

Funniest Costume: 1st - Abby Bennett as a red tractor; 2nd - Duck on a leash with the Liberty Partnership Float.

Cutest Costume: 1st - Kory Vidler as a witch with a broom; 2nd - Lucas Jones as Bulldozer Boy.

Spookiest Costume: 1st - Hamilton family in Marvel costumes; 2nd - Odin Aikins as a child with a saw on a tricycle.

Most Original Costume: 1st - Nora Locke as a Ferris Wheel; 2nd - Maddox D’Angelo as a storm cloud.

Judges’ Award: 1st - Savannah and Ryann Wallen as Chobani with a spoon; 2nd - Maverick Douglas-Utter as Bob Ross.

The parade also featured a float competition with categories for schools, families, businesses, and non-school groups. The results were as follows:

School Float: 1st - Stanford Gibson/Perry Brown with "Gibson is Out of This World;” 2nd - Holy Family with "Not All Heroes Wear Capes."

Non-School Float: 1st - Cub Scouts Pack with miscellaneous costumes; 2nd - SUNY Morrisville Liberty Partnership Program with "Farm Friends."

Business Float: 1st - Chenango Greenway Conservancy with a Sasquatch theme.

In the Family Costume category, the DiStefano family took 1st place with their Addams Family costumes, followed by the Foulds family as The Disney Belles, and the Dewey family as cops and bad guys.

The YMCA thanked all who contributed to the event, underscoring how vital community involvement is in sustaining this tradition.

Without your support, this family tradition would not be possible, said Jamey Mullen, YMCA Director.

The Halloween Parade was part of the fourth annual Norwitch Fall Festival, hosted by the Norwich Business Improvement District. The festival was a great success, with more than 100 vendors and drawing large crowds to East and West Park.