Easton’s newest Halloween tradition tiptoed its way into Centre Square and Scott Park last weekend, dressed in witch hats and broomsticks. The first annual “Witches’ Walk” featured a wide variety of vendors, from pumpkin painting to tarot card reading.
Organized by the Easton Main Street Initiative, the debut festival drew large crowds eager to enjoy the start of the Halloween season. Over the course of the two days, fire performers illuminated the park with spinning flames, while dancers, costume contests and live music added to the atmosphere.
Many attendees embraced the theme with cloaks, pointed hats and glittering makeup, turning downtown Easton into a scene pulled straight from a Halloween storybook.
Among the vendors was Charee Serrano, owner of The Blooming Cottage in Phillipsburg. Her business started as outdoor crafting classes and has since expanded into a storefront offering resin art workshops and collaborative maker spaces.
Traditional craftsmanship also took the spotlight through Feral Broom Craft, owned by Catherine May Fulton, who creates hand-woven brooms made using centuries-old American techniques.
“Being part of the first year has been really fun,” Fulton said. “More than half the people here are in costume, which is amazing.”
Fulton said she first learned weaving through 4H, an agricultural skill-development program, before refining broom-making skills under a trained broom maker. She now makes brooms and teaches broom-making classes, hoping to spread the craft to as many people as she can.
Jackie Scarcella, a doula, tarot reader and Reiki healer, brought spiritual jewelry craft to the vendor lineup.
She got into Reiki after being recommended to a session a decade ago.
“I loved the impact that it had on me and the way it made me feel, so I got certified and I teach Reiki now,” Scarcella said.
Artist Jane Rivera presented works centered around goddess spirituality and themes of womanhood. Rivera emphasized the significance of the color red in her work.
“I’m a woman, so blood is very personal; blood is the essence of life,” said Rivera. “The womb is red. I’m really in my red phase right now.”