Islanders Devise a Night of Frightful Fun

Halloween is one of two festive nights of the year where parents pull out all the stops and work together to create some magic for kids. And this year is no different.

And it’s not just the parents who go gangbusters. A number of businesses, playful adults, and high school students are also behind the scenes. They’re making wall portraits come alive, fireworks fill the sky, and tricks and treats cascade into bags.

The week before Halloween, elementary and middle school students are carving 60 innocent, cherub-faced pumpkins―grown on Bon Acres Farm and donated by Country Grocer―into grisly, ghoulish jack-o’-lanterns. Their glowing lights will ward off evil spirits!

Instead of going off island for costumes and treats, explore the tickle trunk at Pharmasave. Both stores have the costumes, wigs, and makeup to turn you into an unrecognizable fiend. They’ve got you covered from tip to tail, claw to fang―and a great selection of treats, too!

On Halloween, get your first thrills at the Spook House at Mahon Hall, starting at 6pm! Trick-or-treaters can avoid the rain by filling their bags with treats inside the Spook House. Youngsters can exit the Spook House after trick-or-treating but before getting to the super scary part. The fee for all this frightful fun is a mere $5! Free parking at Mahon Hall for Spook House and the fireworks.

All funds raised benefit the two GISS Improv Teams―junior and senior―and the Salt Spring Festival of Fools, who coordinate the event. Organizer Bob Twaites sends out a monstrous thank you to Spook House sponsors: Country Grocer, who provided a fantastic prop-acquiring grant this year; Pharmasave; Thrifty’s; TJ Beans; and Island Variety Shop. A lot of collaboration has gone into bringing imaginations to life―or death, shall we say? Find the Halloween Spook House of Facebook.

Other trick-or-treating hot spots include Fulford Village, Ganges Village, Cedar Lane, Wildwood Drive, and Maliview Drive. The Maliview menagerie is always a great spectacle. If you want to contribute treats for youngsters visiting Maliview, you can add your donation to the dropboxes in both the Uptown and Downtown Pharmasave locations.

Thanks to all of your treat donations and a wild assortment of chocolate donated by Country Grocer, kids and adults will find a candy extravaganza at Maliview. Cadaverous attendants will serve you Guayaki yerba mate while an eerie fog swirls at your feet and ghosts hover over your shoulder.

Salt Spring Fire Department has a fantastic firework show lined up for the Ganges Harbour, starting at 7:30pm. Go a bit early for hot dogs and hot chocolate at the dock. Both fireworks funds and food thanks to Country Grocer.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Halloween!

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Avatar of Coreen Boucher

By Coreen Boucher

Staff Writer, Salt Spring Exchange News

October 26, 2016 4:52 PM