PHOTOS: Krampus, Buddy the Elf, Grinches and Santa appear at downtown holiday parade

Among the dancers, bands and bikers getting ready for the holiday parade, Krampus stood out to passersby.

Krampus, the spooky opposite of Santa Claus, punishes all the children on the year’s naughty list. He got stares and whispers of, “It’s Krampus,” as he prepares for his first appearance in Salem’s downtown holiday parade on Black Friday.

John Walch, the man behind the Krampus mask, is a strong man performer who put his creativity to work in creating the costume.

He wasn’t the only one who opted for a darker, or grumpier, holiday character.

Robert Maple and Cathie Velasco from Salem Convention Center stood out as two Grinches among a walking group dressed in elf costumes.

“Somebody had to be the Grinch,” Maple said.

As the parade went on, people danced in the street to marching band music and played snowball with Buddy the Elf. Every street of the parade was lined with onlookers, from the Oregon State Capitol on Northeast Winter Street to Bentley’s Coffee on Northeast Liberty Street.

At the end of the parade, the audience filled Northeast Court Street, between Commercial and Liberty Streets, to watch Santa Claus light the tree from a Marion County fire truck.

Here are some of the scenes from Friday night’s parade.

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