Friday, Oct. 30, 2026

While we are celebrating the fun of Halloween this weekend, let’s remember what is really important. The Monroe County Veterans Day Parade steps off Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. at Stroudsburg High School and finishes at Dansbury Park in East Stroudsburg. Pocono Pony will shuttle marchers from the Dansbury Park lot to the high school from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Many of them have experienced the real horrors. Come out, line the route, and say thank you.

Smithfield Gateway: who gets a seat. Smithfield Township supervisors opened the Gateway data center hearing Wednesday night (Oct. 28), and it came down to one question: who gets to be a formal party to the case. The Brodhead Watershed Association was granted party status, 2 to 0, with Chairman Jacob Pride recused on that vote. Resident David Allen Bower was turned down, 3 to 0. We are still confirming who else was granted it, and the township has not yet posted the date of the next session. This is based on the township’s meeting video and a review of its transcript, and we will refine it when the minutes are posted.

Now the fun stuff (if you’ve dared to make it this far…mu ha ha ha).

Our pick: Thomas Street, Stroudsburg. Thomas Street is blocked off to cars every Halloween, and it will be again on Saturday night, Oct. 31. It’s our pick for the best space in the county (and, we’d argue, one of the best in the country). My sister-in-law Chris, who has lived in the borough for more than 20 years, says it is “the place to be.” Erik Diemer, whose family is an institution in Stroudsburg, says it feels like being in the middle of trick-or-treat in the 80s, with every house decorated and thousands of kids on the street. (Erik is 28, but he’s an old soul. We’re choosing to believe he was out there in the 80s and just doesn’t want to talk about the previous life.)

Stroudsburg’s two-window plan. Trick-or-treat runs 5 to 6 p.m. for young children and children with disabilities, then 6 to 9 p.m. for everyone. That corrects our Oct. 16 edition, which had the second window ending at 8.

Start early downtown. Spooky Stroudsburg runs 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday in Courthouse Square, and it is free. Expect pumpkin decorating, a corn pit, a magician and a Pocono Wildlife Rehab presentation, plus trick-or-treating at participating downtown businesses from 3 to 5 p.m. I’ve heard there is even a spooky fisherman in front of Pocono Soap. The Monroe Farmers Market still runs 8 a.m. to noon. Children must be with a parent or guardian.

Hours by municipality, Saturday, Oct. 31. Middle Smithfield is 4 to 7 p.m. Chestnuthill, Coolbaugh, Hamilton, Jackson and Mount Pocono are 5 to 8 p.m. Tobyhanna is 5:30 to 8 p.m. East Stroudsburg, Stroud Township, Delaware Water Gap, Eldred, Polk, Price, Ross and Barrett (Oak Lane and Prices Drive) are 6 to 8 p.m. Pocono Township’s agenda lists 6 to 8 p.m. We have not found hours for Smithfield, Paradise or Tunkhannock, so check with your municipality. Hours can change.

Thank you to the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau for sourcing three of these five. Here are our picks, with the grown-up options first:

Pub 447: East Stroudsburg. The Halloween Bash is Saturday, Oct. 31, with a DJ, dancing and a costume contest: $300 for best overall, then $150, $100 and $50 Pub 447 gift cards. Doors open at 7 p.m. for ages 21 and up, and costume registration runs 7 to 9 p.m. Entry is $15 in advance or $20 at the door and includes a five-course buffet, a s’mores bar and one specialty cocktail, beer or wine. Reserve a table at 570-730-4699. 65 Independence Road. I inspected it last night and the décor is impressive, and a shout out to Cara and the whole crew there.

The Cinder Inn: Stroudsburg. A Halloween Karaoke Bash on Saturday, Oct. 31, starting at 9 p.m., with prizes for the top three. Dress up and sing your heart out. Details are from the bar’s own announcement.

The Curse of Camelback: Tannersville. A returning favorite. Camelbeach turns into a post-apocalyptic zone you reach by lift. Fri. and Sat. 6 p.m. to midnight, Sun. 6 to 10 p.m. From $30 a person. Camelback Mountain Adventures, 301 Resort Drive.

The Electrifying Jack-O-Lantern Experience: Gilbert. A walk-through of thousands of hand-carved pumpkins, real and faux, at the West End Fairgrounds in Chestnuthill Township. Fri., Sat. and Sun., 7 to 9 p.m., through Sunday. $20 adults, $15 children 4 to 10, free for 3 and under. Timed tickets must be bought online. 570 Fairgrounds Road.

Mazezilla: Saylorsburg. Corn maze, pumpkin picking, wagon rides and a mountain slide, through Nov. 8. Fri., Sat. and Sun., hours vary by day, so call 570-402-7378. Free entry, fees for some activities. 415 Route 115.

We know there are others. We couldn’t find details on every party out there, but we know the Hideaway, the speakeasy downstairs from Newberry’s Yard of Ale in Stroudsburg, is doing a Halloween party too. If you are hosting one, email me at busby.ed@gmail.com with the details, and I’ll put it in the comments.

This one is longer than our usual closer. My mom was a teacher, and this story is worth the extra space.

Dr. Elizabeth Robison, superintendent of the Pocono Mountain School District, has been named Pennsylvania’s 2027 Superintendent of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. She has spent 38 years with the district.

Why she won. PASA’s Elections Committee and Board of Governors cited her leadership in improving student outcomes, expanding opportunities, building community partnerships and advancing public education. She led a redesign of secondary education aimed at closing achievement gaps and improving outcomes for students with disabilities, and guided the move to a renewed daily schedule. She also rebuilt the district’s cyber program as PMSD Cyber, a K-12 program with individualized learning paths, live and recorded instruction, small-group teaching, counseling and credit recovery.

Beyond the classroom. Under her watch, students have earned regional, state, national and international recognition in STEAM, chess, problem-solving, and speech and debate (as the captain of my high school’s debate team, let me give a particular applause to that). The district opened a new Wellness Facility and has been recognized as a Great Pennsylvania School, a Best Community for Music Education and an Outstanding Visual Arts Community. She has also built partnerships with St. Luke’s University Health Network, Communities in Schools and the Pocono Mountains United Way, where she has volunteered for more than 30 years and won its Spirit of Caring and Outstanding Campaign Manager awards.

What’s next. She beat finalists Lynn Fuini-Hetten of Salisbury Township and Dr. Erin Keating of Scranton, and now represents Pennsylvania in the national program. National finalists are named late this year, and the national winner will be recognized in Atlanta in February. Her reaction: “No superintendent leads alone.”

Have a great weekend, Monroe County, and a spooky one.