Hundreds of children and teens celebrated the fall holiday season with a pair of Halloween events held at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center and park in Norwood.

 

According to NYC Parks department officials, 850 children joined this year’s Halloween Pumpkin Party held at the Oval park, located at 3225 Reservoir Oval East on Saturday, Oct. 28.

The afternoon event featured arts and crafts, a cartoon drawing workshop, and lots of pumpkins of course, with candy donated by The Office of Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.

 

The Annual Halloween Pumpkin Party has been held in the Oval since at least 2019.

 

Meanwhile, NYC Parks officials said 1,235 youngsters aged 12 and up turned out for this year’s Haunted House event held the previous day, when the recreation center was turned into a series of creepy scenes with goblins and monsters wandering the building.

 

Parks officials said the Haunted House event has been taking place each year for at least a decade.

 

On the same day, as reported, a 19-year-old male youth was hospitalized after a daylight shooting took place in nearby Bedford Park. Confusion surrounded the circumstances of the shooting as the teen said he had been shot at in the vicinity of the Oval, though hundreds were gathered there and nobody we spoke to heard any gunshots.

Local Norwood resident AJ Ramos attended New York City’s 50th Annual Halloween Parade in Manhattan on Oct. 31, where this year’s theme was “upside down and inside out.” Ramos said anyone can walk in the parade, which is free, as long as they are in costume. A separate Halloween parade was also held in the South Bronx.

 

Ramos shared a few short videos with us providing a general favor of the atmosphere which can be watched here and here.

For more Halloween coverage, click here and here and here, and check out our Facebook page on Oct. 31 for some other photos of local Norwood residents dressed in costume on the day itself.

 

For more information on upcoming events hosted by the Parks Department, visit www.nyc.gov.parks.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.