EASTHAMPTON — The city’s annual Rag Shag Parade invites all friendly neighborhood ghosts, goblins, witches and other characters to gather for a night of community and candy on Tuesday. 

The event is a beloved part of the Halloween season in Easthampton, allowing families and friends to safely take to the streets in their finest costumes. Community members of all ages are welcome to come take part in the spooky spirit of the event and, of course, eat some candy. 

The Rag Shag Parade is hosted by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which will provide candy to children who participate at the end of the parade. Throughout the parade route, local storefronts and other businesses typically hand out their own treats as well. 

The parade will begin at the Maple Street School, located at 7 Chapel St., at 6:30 p.m. The route will take parade participants down Cottage Street and left onto Williston Avenue to end in the Easthampton High School Parking Lot. 

Cottage Street and Williston Avenue will be closed for the duration of the parade for the safety of its participants. The rain date for the parade is Wednesday. 

Celebrate Halloween with the Pulaski Club

EASTHAMPTON — The Pulaski Club invites community members to dress in their best costumes and partake in some Halloween fun. 

On Saturday, the Pulaski Club will host a Halloween party complete with live music and cash prizes for the best costumes. The party will begin at 7 p.m., and The Phoenix Band will take the stage at 8 p.m. 

On the night of Halloween, they will host a Trunk or Treat event, offering families an alternative to door-to-door trick or treating. This event will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Those interested in volunteering to host a trunk as an individual or business are asked to contact Candy at (413) 695-0427 or Sara at (413) 315-1665. 

Both events will be held at the Pulaski Club, located at 79 Maple Street.

Hurricane relief cookout coming to Southampton

SOUTHAMPTON — The First Congregational Church of Southampton will host an opportunity to eat, socialize and raise money for hurricane relief efforts on Wednesday, Oct. 30. 

All donations will go toward hurricane disaster relief funds as attendees enjoy burgers, hot dogs and pulled pork. 

The event will take place rain or shine at 212 College Highway from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Those interested in attending should RSVP to churchoffice@shcong.org or (413) 527-1173. 

Easthampton Holiday Lights display raising money

EASTHAMPTON — The winter holidays are right around the corner, and local citizen Pat Brough is already hard at work raising money for Easthampton’s Holiday Lights, which have lit up the city streets in the winter and become a local tradition. 

The 2023 Holiday Lights brought light and laughter to many, and Brough and the Easthampton Rotary Club are hoping to add a few more festive trees for their 2024 run. 

The fundraising goal for this year’s Holiday Lights is $15,000. At the time of writing, $9,265 has already been raised with 82 donations. Donations can be made to the Holiday lights GoFundMe at gofund.me/e98b284c or by check or mail-in donation. 

All checks should be made payable to the Easthampton Rotary Club stating “Attention — Holiday Lights / Pat Brough. Checks and mail-in donations can be sent to Pat Brough at Finck & Perras Insurance, 6 Campus Lane, Easthampton. These donations can also be dropped off at this location during regular business hours at the front desk or after hours in the drop box outside the office. 

Alexa Lewis can be reached at alewis@gazettenet.com.