October 11, 2024 3:20 a.m.

Roseburg’s Neewollah Parade promises an evening of frightful fun in downtown on Halloween evening, October 31st, at 5:00 p.m.

A city release said hundreds of costumed tricksters will prowl the pavement, Captain Jack Sparrow will return with his Black Pearl pirate ship and dancing witches will shake their broomsticks. A masked crew resembling the dystopian anarchists from “The Purge” film series might make an appearance as well.

The Roseburg Fright Club will conjure up “Kids Spook Ally” inside the Roseburg Elks Lodge in the 700 block of Southeast Jackson Street from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for $1 a person. A scarier “Funhouse of Horror” will be offered from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Neewollah, which is Halloween spelled backward – is a monster tradition that was first held in Roseburg on October 31st, 1933. According to local residents, historians and newspaper articles, the Neewollah Parade has been held every year since then. The only exceptions were during World War II, and in 2020 and 2021 during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic when virtual parades and costume contests were held instead.

The parade is organized by former city councilor Stacey Crowe to promote downtown Roseburg and fun – as well as an opportunity for businesses to thank the community by giving out candy to trick-or-treaters. Crowe has been involved with the event since shortly after moving to Roseburg in the 1990s.

Costumed participants will gather at 4:45 p.m. near the intersection of Southeast Jackson Street and Southeast Douglas Avenue. Parading begins at 5:00 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the City of Roseburg. City staff will give out candy from a black tent on Jackson Street across from city hall.