Tue Feb 09 2010
By JARED ORZOLEK
Thousands of people traveled to downtown Defiance Saturday to watch the marching bands, floats and other components of the 64th annual Defiance Lions Club Halloween parade.
The crowd began lining the streets with blankets and folding chairs on the brisk fall night well ahead of the 7 p.m. start of the parade.
The Backhaus family of Sherwood set up their parade viewing location at the northeast corner of Clinton and Third streets.
Mike Backhaus, his wife Tammy, and children Jakob, 9, and Maggie, 10, were anticipating watching relatives scheduled to participate in the parade.
Mr. Backhaus said the family views the parade from the same location each year, and has done so since Maggie was a baby.
"We got hear before 5 p.m. and we could not believe how many chairs were out here already," he said.
Jakob said Halloween is one of his favorite holidays of the year. He and his sister were looking forward to getting candy sure to be handed out from parade floats.
"I like Halloween because wet get candy and get to dress up and be something that we are not once per year," he said.
Not everyone who attended the event was a seasoned Lions Club Halloween parade pro.
Debbie Kidwell viewed the parade with her great niece Destiny Hall, 2, from the west side of Clinton Street. The pair watched Kidwell's grandson, Brandon Belcher, travel down the parade float with a local karate club.
"We just moved to Defiance two years ago from Toledo. This will be our first time watching the parade," Kidwell said. She said she noticed that folks were marking the parade route with lawn chairs and blankets at 3 p.m.
"We ran home and got some chairs and marked our spot," Kidwell said. "We love Defiance. We should have been here years ago when we were younger."
Prior to the parade, folks enjoyed a "Boo Town" event, sponsored by Defiance Regional Medical Center and Chief Supermarket, and held on the grounds of the Defiance Middle School. Various local agencies sponsored activities at Boo Town, including a drunk driving simulator and various children's games.
Cheryl Iliff of Defiance brought her three children, Maliexkiy, 3, Zermariequa, 1, and Tranijya, 4 mos. to Boo Town.
"I think it's pretty nifty. The kids are really enjoying it," she said as Maliexkiy played a ring toss game. "It's something fun for kids to do."
Iliff said she planned to watch the parade from a relative's house on the west side of Clinton Street.
"I come every year. It's something to bring the kids to. It's a learning experience for them to be with their family," she said.
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