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NORTON - Aliens in police cars, and clowns and Storm Troopers in fire trucks overtook Route 123 on Sunday afternoon.

No, this wasn't a scene from the latest science-fiction movie; it was Norton's annual Halloween parade with children of all ages dressed in costume.

This parade was the tenth the Sullivan family had attended, but they brought some first-time attendees with them - triplets dressed as ducklings.

"It's an exciting time of the year," the family said.

Sirens wailed to herald the start of the parade, scaring a few of the youngsters, who were ready to march. One of Fran Williams's sons was "very excited" to carry the banner for the Jaycees, but, upon hearing the noise, her other son turned to her and asked if they could leave. She soothed the boy, telling him that they needed to stay to see his brother.

All tears shed over loud noises dried quickly, though as the candy-tossing floats moved down the street and children rushed to grab the sweets.

In Mansfield

Families of bumblebees and groups of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were spotted during Mansfield's Halloween festivities.

Four members of the Mansfield High School Marching Band dressed up as the turtle cartoon characters, while a mixture of costumes were seen in the rest of the band.

Other participants wore an array of costumes from cars to Transformers, to Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz," and must have made it difficult for judges Dave Leary, selectwoman Sandra Levine and school committee member Jean Miller to decide the winning costume in three categories: best fictional character, best theme and most original.

Even pets got in on the action, as many were seen as princesses, police officers, and doctors.