Brave super heroes, pretty princesses and spooky monsters will once again march in unison through downtown Dowagiac Saturday, as the Dowagiac Optimist Club hosts its annual Halloween parade and costume contest that morning.

The event begins at 10 a.m. at Beckwith Park, located on Front Street, where participating children will have their costumes judged, with winners in each age bracket receiving cash prizes. Following the conclusion of the contest, the children and their parents will take a brief stroll down Front Street, turning briefly on Main Street before winding down Depot Drive, ending at the park on Beeson Street.

Participants will receive a bag of candy at the end of the march.

“The event is a fun way for the kids to get out in their costumes a little bit before Halloween,” said Optimist Club President Steve Grinnewald. “In fact, we get just as many parents participating in the parade as we do kids.”

A police vehicle will lead the children along the parade route during the event, Grinnewald said.

The costume contest will be organized like it has in past years, with the children separated into several different age groups: infants to 2 years old, 3 to 4 years old, 5 to 6 years old, 7 to 8 years old and 9 to 11 years old. First place in each category will receive $15, second place $10 and third $5.

Members of the local Optimist Club will perform the judging that morning, Grinnewald said.

“We always hold the contest before Halloween, so that kids can test out their costumes, to see what looks good and what can be improved,” Grinnewald said.

Students at Dowagiac Middle School will again lend a hand to the event as well, helping to sort and bag the candy that will be given out to the children the day of the parade, Grinnewald said.

“We usually shoot them a little bit of candy that is left over for their efforts,” he said.

The Halloween parade is one several ways the local Optimist Club donates its time and energy to help improve the lives of students in the Dowagiac area. The club also hosts a pancake breakfast fundraiser every spring to raise money for a scholarship for a Union High School senior.