Oct. 25--When they got married Oct. 29 nearly five years ago, Brett Koppen and his wife, Kimberly, adorned their purple and black wedding cake with "Corpse Bride" movie character toppers.
Halloween is their favorite holiday, so of course they came out Saturday night to watch the inaugural Chicago Halloween parade downtown.
"It's nice to see the city embrace (Halloween)," said Kimberly Koppen, 34, who wore matching steampunk costumes with her husband.
The parade took place Saturday night, along Columbus Drive between Balbo Avenue and Monroe Street, and drew a large audience consisting largely of young families. The parade capped off the Halloween Gathering, a new daylong series of Halloween-themed events downtown.
Dancing skeletons, T-rex puppeteers and mariachi singers marched in the parade. The macabre mingled with civic messages, too, as some Chicago journalists marched in the parade holding signs that spelled out the entire First Amendment.
While most spectators weren't in costume, some took that extra step. One couple mimicked Batman and Batgirl. A father carried his daughter, dressed as Tigger, on his shoulders.
Queen Hardin, 30, of the city's Back of the Yards neighborhood, came to the parade with her 9-month old, Alexander, who was dressed as a puppy; 3-year old Andreaus in an Elmo costume; and 10-year old Joel, with a Darth Vader mask. Her family enjoyed the day's festivities.
"Everything we did was great," Hardin said.
Some people had suggestions for improving the event. Laura Perna, 24, said she enjoyed the procession but would've liked more music. Others suggested the lighting wasn't spooky enough.
But many, like Dani Price, 31, who came as a sorceress, said they looked forward to making this a tradition.
"It's beautiful," Price said of the event. "I want to see them do more of this next year."
gpratt@tribpub.com
