By Tiffani Westbrook

Somerville’s Monster Mash was full of families on Sunday afternoon. The costumes ranged from scary to just plain goofy and even the household pets got in on the fun strutting their Halloween best down SomerStreets. The city blocked off the two mile section to support Shape up Somerville’s healthy living initiative. Julia Sharp, a Somerville native, said that she and her two children have come to the event two years in a row. She said that, “it is becoming a tradition of sorts. The kids love it. It is like having Halloween twice in one year.” At least one family feels that it is an entertaining substitution for Halloween night trick-or-treating. Desire Miller said that, “I am considering this to be Halloween since it falls on a week day this year.” Her son Jeddah is only two so she is looking forward to “staying at home and greeting the trick-or-treaters instead.”  With the cold weather approaching that is not a bad idea for the littlest ones but is sure to be a hard sell to the older kids and the kids at heart.