A Neverland pest control exterminator hunted Tinkerbell, while “Prince Harming” lurked in the shadows and the Little Mermaid floated by, caught by a fisherman with a hook in her mouth.
This was the scene at 10/31 Consortium’s Halloween Ball, held earlier this month at the 13th Gate warehouse. The “Fairytale Nightmares” theme will carry on this weekend with the organization’s third annual Halloween Parade in downtown Baton Rouge.
With a higher budget and more community support, this year’s parade will host a few things it never has before.
“It’s basic parade stuff that we’re getting to have for the first time,” said parade captain and queen Jessica Edwards.
One of those parade basics is a marching band, and there happen to be five walking the route that zig-zags from the 13th Gate, down River Road and to Laurel Street this year. Local high schools, as well as Tulane University, will join in.
The flamingo-loving Krewe of Partylons will follow alongside the zombie-inspired Krewe of Cerebrum Snackers. The Red Stick Rebellion, a group of Star Wars enthusiasts, will also be walking the stretch led by the food bank float, which will collect donations from the crowd.
In an effort to collect more nonperishable goods than in the past, the krewes are competing with each other. The float that brings in the most canned goods will sport a distinctive ribbon on parade day.
This idea spawned after the results of last year’s donation count. Despite double the attendance, food bank support was cut in half from the first year: 1,600 pounds of food were collected in 2011, but only 900 pounds in 2012. Coordinators hope to bring that number back up.
Edwards, a particularly involved member of 10/31 Consortium, earned the queen’s crown this year by gaining the most “royalty points” through attending events throughout the year. She has kept herself extra busy as parade captain, which carries parade planning duties as well.
“I’m such a Halloween person, but this has taken over everything — I don’t even have a costume ready yet.” Edwards said.
Of all the rowdy floats that will line up, there’s a new and particularly special one this time around. As always, all proceeds go to Our Lady of the Lake, but this year the children of the hospital will also get a chance to ride.
10/31 Consortium members will visit and decorate the playroom of Our Lady of the Lake’s pediatric wing to give young patients the opportunity to be in the parade on their own unique float for the first time.
Of all the additions to this year’s festivities, there is one that is particularly exciting to Edwards: Actor Nick Gomez of “The Walking Dead” and “Dexter” will be the grand marshal.
“To me, I feel like he’s a mega star because I watch ‘Dexter’ and ‘The Walking Dead,’” Edwards said.
Luckily, a board member happened to know Gomez well enough to have his phone number. Gomez volunteered, saying he felt honored.
There’s no doubt that 10/31 Consortium members love Halloween, but they also host events almost once a month throughout the year to inspire creativity and community involvement, according to Edwards. The next event will be a drag show in December based on “A Nightmare Before Christmas.”
The fact that no events are hosted on the actual holiday may surprise people, but Edwards said they have their reasons.
“We are so about trick-or-treating,” Edwards said. “We’d never hold an event on actual Halloween.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Charles Champagne

Parade captain and queen, Jessica Edwards, helps set up their float Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, for the upcoming 3rd Annual Halloween Parade on Saturday.