HARTFORD — The community Halloween parade has hit an obstacle going into its 24th year, as police say they’re unable to assist due to staffing difficulties and it being a high-volume call night.
Gory Daze is an annual Halloween celebration featuring a costume parade, dance party and other themed events, associated with Main Street Museum in White River Junction.
In past years, the Hartford Police Department has provided safety coverage with an officer or two at the parade, typically in a vehicle at the front and back. But now, the police may be spread too thin to provide any coverage in addition to regular duties.
Town manager Gail Ostrout is not in favor of town police providing the service, she said Tuesday at the Selectboard meeting.
“I support community events. My challenge that I have is to support my staff as well,” said Ostrout.
While the fee for the service was waived last year, organizers paid about $900 for parade coverage in 2024, according to Chico Eastridge, a Hartford resident who helps run the event. In previous years, the cost was closer to $550 or less.
The cost breakdown, included in the packet, had $447 per hour for two officers.
“It’s become difficult to sustain the price tag,” said Eastridge.
Ostrout noted in an email exchange with Eastridge, included in the meeting packet, that police providing the service for free has been “quite controversial.” At the meeting, Police Chief Constance Kelley said the fee is not waived, but rather paid internally using taxpayer funds.
Lt. William Furnari, of the department’s community outreach division, noted in an email to Ostrout that there’s no indication that police are required for the parade to run, but that there could be a liability for the town if they approve a traffic barricade without ensuring someone is properly directing cars away from it.
Selectboard Chair Ida Griesemer requested that the organizers start looking into alternatives.
Selectboard member Tim Fariel, however, expressed concern over consistency and fairness, adding that the town needs to provide a clear path for those putting on community events.
“Our staff levels have not changed dramatically since the alumni parade, and we somehow migrated through that,” Fariel said of the Hartford High School event in June.
Erik Krauss argued that under new leadership now, and with more information about the staffing shortage, the upcoming parade should be considered its own issue.
Kelley also specified that requests for outside detail would call on officers to work during their limited time off. Further, they have a right to deny those requests under the police union contract.
In the past, there has generally been a car in front and in back of the parade, though some years there was less. Throughout the years, attendance has stayed about the same, with up to 1,500 people participating in the 45-minute parade.
Griesemer inquired about calling for an already-on-duty officer to help out, but Kelley said they’ll likely have two officers Halloween night, who would be spread too thin on a busy night.
So this year, organizers are hoping to get volunteer flaggers and barricades. Eastridge will work out the logistics and see how many people they need, and volunteers may participate in an OSHA training class to be certified for flagging.
“Last night I think I got a clear answer,” Eastridge said of the Tuesday meeting. “Since August I’ve been kind of confused about what the town’s been saying.”
In the absence of police, the flagging team may serve a dual purpose as security during the parade, he said.
If certification is not an option in the next month, they’ll see if any flaggers are available for hire, though Eastridge is hopeful they can get volunteers certified in time, he said.
Eastridge believes there will be a cost associated with these arrangements, possibly exceeding $900, but his hope is that the investment this year into resources such as signage and training can carry over to future parades.
Overall, Gory Daze costs about $5,100 to run, including everything leading up to it, said Eastridge. Some years, there’s a profit that carries over from events such as the dance party. But other years, they’re in the red.
Eastridge anticipates the total expense may reach about $6,000 for the 2026 parade.
Knowing that they are not obligated to hire police for the event, Eastridge feels the team can handle safety coverage independently. Guidelines have not been laid out specifically, but may come down to how comfortable the town is with their arrangements.
“I think we can pull it off,” said Eastridge.
