By MATT LINDSEY

CANTON -- Monsters, superheroes and witches will take to the streets Oct. 25 in downtown Canton during the annual “Phantoms in the Park” Halloween celebration that will feature a parade and costume contest.

Costumed children can participate in a “Trick-or-Treat” parade at 1 p.m. beginning in the park. The parade routinely lasts an hour.

“There were a lot of little cute costumes last year…and also quite a few costumes made from recycled materials, which is good to see,” according to Sally Hill, executive director of the Canton Chamber of Commerce.

Downtown merchants will handout candy and other goodies to kids in the parade as they will travel up to NBT Bank and around past County Seat Realty, down the street near the police station and up and around to the back plaza, Hill said.

“We typically see a couple hundred kids attend…sometimes upwards of 350 on a good year,” Hill said.

The costume contest will take place at 2 p.m. with this year’s categories to include scariest, most original, funniest, most patriotic, cutest, most creative use of recycled materials, and the new “Families at Phantoms” category.

Winners receive a chamber gift certificate, Hill said.

Students from St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton will join in the festivities by offering treats for children as well as hosting a variety of games.

The chamber will once again have their “popcorn hands” which are made of plastic gloves filled with candy corn for fingernails, stuffed with popcorn and topped off with a Halloween ring, according to Hill.

The park will be decorated at noon with ghosts, pumpkins and more. Volunteers and donations are welcome.

Mike Livingston of DeKalb donates each year to the celebration and children can take a pumpkin home after the event.

“Blow up Halloween items such as spiders, witches and Frankenstein will decorate the park. They are made available by the VFW,” she said.

Price Chopper will again donate cider and donuts, Hill said.