By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
It was a haunting evening in Galveston as the sun set Saturday. The second annual Mystical Parade of Boo snaked through the downtown streets. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of spectators lined the streets more than one hour before the start of the parade. Some had come dressed in their own versions of supernatural and harvest-time costumes.
The Ball High School Color Guard led the parade with their proud display of the U.S. and Texas flags. Then came the rambling ghostly characters. Some wore cheerful smiles and carried autumn-themed broomsticks while others looked eerier.
Ghastly entrants were decked out in all forms of ghostly wear. Faces were painted white with streaks of black and smudges of red — indicating they might not be living humans but instead might be souls who had come back to haunt or just to amuse during Halloween season.
Beetlejuice and Darth Vader made appearances, along with countless witches and other legendary characters from the worlds of fright and battle.
A float that appeared to have been from a Mardi Gras of the past made its way down the streets. In true Mardi Gras fashion, beads were tossed out to the arms waving in the air in hopes of catching the plastic jewels.
A replica of one of Galveston’s haunted houses floated down the street carrying very friendly-looking individuals attired as ghosts. They threw candy and beads to the seekers of parade treasure who lined the streets.
The parade was a free, family-friendly event, and the children were delighted with the treats thrown and handed to them. In some cases, children were given candy, while in others, they were treated to trinkets that lit up their faces and brought out their smiles and cheers of delight.
Designed to take advantage of the oft-repeated tales of ghosts and haunting in Galveston, the parade itself engaged the audience with its eerie entrants as the sun dropped lower in the western sky. Most attendees did not dare linger as darkness descended. This allowed for any ghoulish mischief that may have occurred in the dark of night to go unnoticed. Merriment and fun were what the parade audience experienced.
