ALLOWAY — Alloway’s Halloween Parade stepped off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, and by the end of the night Avery Paulus wore the queen’s crown and the Pittsgrove Youth Cheer Association’s “Minions Got Talent” float had taken Best Overall Float. Organized by the Alloway Halloween Parade Committee and revived in 1968, the parade features floats, queens, bands and antiques, and it typically draws a crowd of around a thousand plus people to the village, making it one of the biggest nights of the year in Alloway.
As announced by the committee for the 58th annual parade, roads closed at 6 p.m. and the route began on School Lane, wound through town and returned to the municipal building. Judges stood on Friesburg Road, and the queen was announced after the parade.
93.3 WMMR radio personality Jacky BamBam was also on hand for the parade.
Parade Queen and court
Avery Paulus, sponsored by Cambridge Constructors and Engineers, was named 2026 Alloway Halloween Parade Queen. Her court:
- 1st Runner-Up: Izzy Carlson, sponsored by Davis Garage and A Pampered Pet
- 2nd Runner-Up: Addy Paulus, sponsored by RCL Solar
- 3rd Runner-Up: Emma Hitchner, sponsored by Alloway Youth League
Meet the court
Four contestants competed for the crown. The queen and the second runner-up are sisters: Avery and Addison Paulus are daughters of McKenzie Manley and Willard Paulus V.
Avery M. Paulus, Queen. Avery, 15, is a sophomore at Salem County Vocational Technical School, where she studies animal science. She is involved in field hockey, FFA and her youth group, volunteers at the parade committee’s mum sale fundraisers, and enjoys 4-H, beef cattle and swine. She plans to study pre-vet at Delaware State and then veterinary medicine at Michigan State, with a focus on large animals, especially bovines.
Isabelle (Izzy) Carlson, 1st Runner-Up. Izzy, 14, daughter of Maureen Carlson, is a freshman at Salem County Vocational Technical School. She plays field hockey, is a new FFA member, mentors in 4-H, serves as a New Jersey 4-H Ambassador, helps at senior citizen homes and organizes donation drives. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and work in coral reef ecology and conservation.
Addison (Addy) Paulus, 2nd Runner-Up. Addison, 14, is a freshman at Woodstown High School. She runs cross country and track, plays golf and Alloway Township Youth League softball, and belongs to the Big Brothers Big Sisters club and the Gloucester County Beef, Hog and Shepherd’s Club through 4-H. She enjoys farming, welding and painting, and plans to become a pipeline welder or residential electrician.
Emma Marie Hitchner, 3rd Runner-Up. Emma, 16, daughter of Tracy and Jeff Hitchner, is a junior at Woodstown High School. She plays varsity field hockey and softball, throws shot put in track and field, serves as FCCLA vice president, and belongs to National Honor Society. She also volunteers with Alloway Youth League, coaches at its youth camp, and takes part in the JDRF Walk. She plans to study pediatric nursing or research toward a cure for type 1 diabetes.
Floats
The Pittsgrove Youth Cheer Association’s “Minions Got Talent” took Best Overall Float, and also won the Youth division. Division winners:
| Division | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comic | Milt’s Tractors: Slow and Spooky Amish Buggy | BR Williams: Toy Story | Franklin Family: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory |
| Dance | Studio 5: Willy Wonka | Christine’s Studio of Dance: CSOD Enters Upside Down World | Dance Artistry Center Performance Team: Mad Hatters |
| Fancy | Edge of the Woods: Haunted Farm | Gig Machine: The Devil’s Jukebox | |
| Original | Magic Witchballs: Magic Witchball Witches | Garozzo Family: Garozzo Scarelines, Come Fly With Us | Pennsville Memorial High School Cheerleaders: Witches |
| Religious | Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church: Older Than America | Ranch Hope: Fall for Jesus | |
| Youth | Pittsgrove Youth Cheer Association: Minions Got Talent | Woodstown Pirates Football and Cheer Youth Organization: Pirates Graveyard | Alloway Township Youth League Field Hockey: Goals, Ghouls, and Goblins |
Costumed marchers
Marchers were judged by age group, from toddlers to adults. In the youngest three groups, the Kuhlman siblings swept first place.
| Group | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: 16 and up | Cheyenne Jordan: Viking Witch | Chas Ainsworth: Cowboy Skeleton | Jackie Ainsworth: Ostrich |
| B: ages 11-15 | Elliana Kuhlman: Rena Furtive | ||
| C: ages 6-10 | Sylor Kuhlman: Terrifier | ||
| D: ages 0-5 | Lyvlec Kuhlman: Lady Bug | ||
| G: two or more, themed | Susan Sheppard and Gail Hunt: Sumo Si |
Parade sponsors
The parade named 14 Platinum sponsors for 2026. Titan, LLC joined as a new Platinum sponsor this year.
- B. DuBois Burial Vaults
- B Hitchner Farms LLC
- B R Williams Inc.
- Bud’s Market Alloway
- Cream Valley Custard
- East Coast Sod & Seed
- Grimms Garage
- KCS Demolition & Trucking
- Melnyk’s Tree Service
- Ranch Hope, Inc.
- RCL Enterprises Inc
- The Barn in the Gardens
- Titan, LLC, Sitework & Landscape Contractor
- Williams Auto Parts, Salem