By LANI DUKE

A light-hearted invitation to a small parade in 1959 has grown far beyond all expectations: during a 50-year span, the annual Halloween parade has expanded to an evening-long extravaganza of costumes, lights, floats and music.

Business participation has kept pace with the parade’s growth, including companies ranging from medical firms and supermarkets to resorts, credit unions and communications firms. Businesses join in a line-up that includes civic betterment groups, clubs and schools. The number of floats and walking units has reached close to 100 in recent years, and the parade line-up and route has consequently grown longer.

Businesses take part in the parade because it’s fun and has become part of their personal tradition, according to members of the Edward Fabian family of West Rutland. Fabian Earthmoving’s red trucks have long been part of the parade; pictures of parade entries are as proudly displayed on the shop’s walls and in scrapbooks as those of the company’s completed projects.

Some businesses may benefit directly from a portion of the estimated 12,000 to 15,000 onlookers who flock downtown to the parade each year. Restaurants and bars may receive direct trade from parade attendees. While many businesses close down for the parade itself, their owners often say they receive valuable public exposure.

“We seem to have to have an event to bring people downtown. It’s always good to have events that bring people downtown; they see your business” and may come back later to peruse offerings and make purchases, said Mary Fran Lloyd of Art & Antiques on Center Street.

On the other hand, Lloyd said staying open during the parade doesn’t present an immediate benefit to her business; parade watchers watch the parade and rarely wander into open stores.

Adam King of King’s Fine Furniture agreed. “If nothing else, it brings people into the downtown area,” said King. “It’s one of the biggest venues we have that draws a crowd. Hopefully, they window shop. We get some exposure. We’re not going to open for it; people are not thinking of shopping.”

Business neighbor Jean-Louis Desjardins of Desjardins-Rochon Jewelers agrees the parade “absolutely” drives business.

Potential customers “see the store and say they will come back,” said Desjardins. “It’s a big thing for a lot of people.” Opening during the parade, however, would open the door to problems rather than sales, he said: “Why open the door to people wearing masks?”

Tracking the economic impact the parade itself contributes to the downtown area is difficult. Shoppers may rent costumes and buy candy and decorations for the parade or for use at work and/or private parties.

Halloween is a big booster of consumer sales: during 2008, consumers across the U.S. were estimated to have spent a total of $5.7 billion on Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation of Washington, D.C.

The Downtown Rutland Partnership works with the Rutland Recreation and Parks Department to organize and support the parade. It has been held every year since its inception except for 1962, when it was cancelled because of heavy rain. The 2009 Halloween parade is the event’s 50th.

Ever since initial parade organizer Tom Fagan approached John Ciofreddi when Ciofreddi was a supervisor in the recreation department, city personnel have provided guidance and support. Fagan’s primary roles were grand marshal and liaison with the comic book industry. Rutland served as the setting for some nine Marvel superhero comic books during the 1970s; it has also appeared in at least three other Marvel comic features since. Other comic writers have also used Rutland as a setting.

At one point, Ciofreddi proposed adjusting the parade’s date if October 31 were to fall during the middle of the week to allow the parade to be promoted as a weekend event, historian Don Wickman said. Fagan and the community nixed the idea primarily for two reasons: Fagan said keeping the spooky doings on All Hallow’s Eve was integral to the theme; community members maintained that having the parade on the appropriate calendar date helps to reduce vandalism.

The parade remains on October 31, providing an immeasurable segment of the Rutland economy.