It’s that time of year — and kids from Bay Ridge and beyond couldn’t be happier.
The 52nd annual Ragamuffin Parade will once again walk the streets of Brooklyn on Sat. Oct. 13, as neighborhood children don a wide array of costumes as part of a march whose tagline is “Miles of Smiles.”
What began as a small procession in October, 1966, when children donned their parents’ oversized garb and paraded around the block on which Our Lady of Angels is situated, has become a beloved neighborhood tradition in which kids stride along Third Avenue to show off costumes that range from the fantastical to the quirky, and pretty much everything in between.
Now over half a century young, the parade — the brainchild of Father James McKenna of Our Lady of Angels and Ridgeite Cliff Scanlon — was developed as a safe alternative to trick or treating. The name of the parade stems from the fact that participants, wearing their parents’ clothes, looked like ragamuffins.
This year, the parade will be sponsored by Empire State Bank along with co-sponsors state Sen. Marty Golden, Northfield Bank, Investors Bank, Ferrantino Fuel Oil, the law offices of Peter P. Ferraiuolo, Dime Bank, the Salty Dog and Gangi Plumbing and Heating.
This year’s grand marshal is Leo Lykourezos of Leo’s Casa Calamari. The Men Of The Year are Michael Esposito and Ted Nugent of Cebu.
The parade route starts at 76th Street and Third Avenue, and ends at 92nd Street in the HSBC parking lot. Registration runs from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m in the Holy Angels Catholic Academy schoolyard, located on 73rd Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. Costume judging will take place at the same location from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Prizes will be distributed to every child in costume registered at the end of the parade.