PGH's Best Night of the Year: The Bloomfield Halloween Parade

Let me tell you about the best night of the year. It's the Thursday before Halloween. It's a parade that takes place AT NIGHT along Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield. It's a Halloween parade, and it is the best thing. Best thing. You can drink on the street. You can chant. You can cheer. You can have all the fun.

Because I'm writing this on Sunday night at 10:45 p.m., don't expect much from me in terms of thrilling summaries of the festivities. I do offer up some shoddy photos of some of the best moments from the parade. Enjoy!

The beginning of the parade: Scottish bagpipers.

Neighborhood children walking the parade.

This was undoubtedly one of the most amazing moments of the night. A karate group marched down the street and one of the kids BROKE THIS BOARD BY DOING A FLYING KARATE KICK. Amazing.

Old people playing the Steelers Polka down the street.

FROWNIE (The saddest excuse for a mascot costume ever.)

This - everything about this - was just odd.

Tiny truck! Tiny truck!

Ummm. Everything about this is Wrong. Capital "W" - Wrong.

Some nice cultural dancing!

The Pirate Parrot, shortly before this was taken he flashed us and then gyrated suggestively.

Cousin Mike with McGruff the Crime Dog.

Awesome yinzer lady saluting the Civil War re-enactors after they fired their very loud and smoky guns.

Me & Cousin Mike (It was his first time at the parade!)

The Steel City Angels. No further explanation needed.

The North Allegheny marching band KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. They played the Halloween (movie) theme and danced around like crazy. Loved this band.

At the end of the night, Mike and I were walking toward Angelo's to pick up pizzas and Steeley McBeam was walking in front of us. We asked him for a picture and then asked the drunkest yinzer lady on Liberty to take it for us. After a couple minutes of her not being able to figure out the camera on my phone and of Steeley leaning over and whispering funny things about the drunk yinzer lady, our friend Carrie came along and took the picture for us.

And now, we wait. We wait another 365 days for 2012's Bloomfield Halloween Parade. Sigh.

Halloween 2011 was a grand success. Thanks to all who were involved!