A Fire truck, Chili-Dogs and Two Stoplights

At first glance you may think the three aforementioned items have nothing in common. But if you’re from my childhood neighborhood in Raleigh, you’ll likely know and appreciate the first two and for those that don’t remember, I have a picture for the last.

Growing up each Halloween, our neighborhood invited Raleigh’s finest to come and drive their red fire truck around the circle while dressed-up, wide-eyed children marched behind. We called it the Halloween parade; simple kind of fun.

Once the parade ended at my friend Sara’s home, parents and kids alike gathered for a chili-dog supper before heading out for the evening's trick-or-treating.

Here is Sara and Southern in the City in one of our most memorable costumes – the stoplight. Don’t ask me what motivates 4th graders to dress-up as stoplights. We even had working green, yellow and red lights. Thanks for the good looks, 1994. I've also included other Halloween photos from the 80's and 90's for your viewing pleasure below:

Now, fast forward 13-14 years (oh my!) and here is Southern in the City with The Husband in two of our favorite costumes - tacky Halloween and classic 80’s (that's a real black jumpsuit with gold sequins and glitter - bought from a flea market in NJ). Flattering huh?For those of you in NYC this Halloween, check out the parade in the Village. Although there won’t be any red fire trucks or chili-dogs here, it will be a fun and wild time I assure you.

Multiply Chapel Hill's Franklin Street on Halloween by 100 and you'll get something close to the parade in the Village. For more information on the Village parade, visit http://www.halloween-nyc.com/