Although the annual rag shag parade has been a tradition in the Whip City for almost a century, this year’s parade will be the fourth annual Charlie Morse Memorial Rag Shag Parade – and the second daylight parade. In 2015, the annual children’s parade sponsored by the Westfield and West Springfield lodge of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elk was named in memory of Charlie Morse, a late member of the lodge who organized the parade for many years. Last year, what had traditionally been a twilight parade was changed to a midday event due to safety concerns.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, children of all ages dressed in their Halloween costumes are invited to gather after 11 a.m. at the Elks Lodge on the corner of Washington and Franklin streets for the parade which will kick off at noon.

Preceded by a police cruiser, led by the Westfield High School Marching Band and followed by a city fire engine, the costumed children and their adult escorts will parade through the city’s downtown before returning to the lodge. There, each child will receive treats – a goodie bag, a soda, ice cream and a ticket for a bicycle raffle – and the festivities will continue with a costume contest for children in several different age categories. Before the children leave the lodge, two winning raffle tickets will be drawn and, in a tradition which dates back to the start of the Rag Shag parades, one lucky boy and one lucky girl will each go home with a new bicycle. The bikes were donated by lodge members Save Andras and Mike Lacroix and the helmets which will go with the bikes were donated by the city’s Community Policing unit. Each bike winner will also be given a bike helmet donated by members of the lodge.