Portland Halloween Tradition Refuses To Die

Three weeks after the plug appeared to have been pulled on a popular Halloween parade in Portland’s West End, ghosts, ladybugs and witches poured out of the Reiche school playground just after dark Friday on an annual jaunt through the neighborhood. Led by a small group of drummers, the parade was on and, as organizers hoped, it seemed to be a little smaller and less boisterous than recent editions. Most people who organize events hope they will grow, but the neighborhood Halloween parade was on the verge of cancellation this year because it had grown too big.