Facing hefty tab, Douglas Halloween Parade seeks community support

DOUGLAS, Mich. (WOOD) — Funds are being raised to help keep Douglas’ annual Halloween parade alive.

When spooky season arrives, Douglas fully embraces it with a Halloween parade downtown.

“It just is the wildest, most creative group of people. They come from literally all over the country now,” said Erin Wilkinson, director of events for the Douglas Halloween Parade.

Wilkinson has been running the event for 13 years while carrying on the legacy of her mother, who was the founder.

“She started it to bring business to town because it’s our shoulder season. It’s a little bit slower, and for businesses to make it from 10 weeks of banging summer season and tourism season to all the way through the winter is hard,” Wilkinson said.

It began with about 20 people marching down the street. Since then, it’s taken on a life of its own.

“Now, we’ve got 15, 20,000 people on the sidelines. We’ve probably got 1,000 to 1,500 people who participate in it,” Wilkinson said.

The people who work at businesses along the parade route look forward to the event each year.

“Especially because Saugatuck gets all the attention and Douglas is kind of just here. It’s a quiet, quaint town that you go into,” said Emmalina Zolper, who works at Respite Cappuccino Court. “So when it comes to Halloween Parade, it’s our time to shine.”

Michael Bojko, a clerk at Brackett & Company, says although the store closes during the parade, its impact can still be felt later.

“We get repeat business all the time. New people come in and they end up coming back,” Bojko said.

As the parade — now in its 26th year — has grown, so have expenses.

“The total this year is almost $80,000. Last year, it was $52,000,” Wilkinson said.

The parade is mostly paid for with the help of small businesses.

The city would usually fund services like police, but because of the parade’s size, organizers will have to pick up some of the tab this year.

“It takes a lot more fire, a lot more police, a lot more Department of Public Works,” Wilkinson said.

Instead of going back to small businesses for more money, Wilkinson is looking at other ways to come up with the remaining expenses.

“Maybe do a little bit from crowdfunding, a little bit from our VIP line, we’re going to go for some larger national sponsors this year,” Wilkinson said.

She’s confident the community will show support, but if not, the event could be in limbo.

“We’d have to pull the plug, and I really just hope to not have to think about it,” Wilkinson said.

If you’d like to help the parade, a GoFundMe has been created.

This year’s parade is set for Saturday, Oct. 26.

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