Osoyoos Home Hardware is already getting into the Halloween spirit. This trainee and assistant manager were spotted outside the pet-friendly store on Sunday. (Richard McGuire photo)
Two popular Halloween events are back this year, but with a few changes aimed at improving the experience for younger children.
Trick or Treat Main Street, sponsored by Osoyoos Credit Union and organized by Halloween devotee Michelle Quail, is back for its third year. The event is aimed at bringing youngsters and families to the downtown section of Main Street.
The former Halloween Howl has been rebranded as Halloween Carnival and takes place at the Sonora Community Centre from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. That event is organized by the Town of Osoyoos with sponsorship and funding from the Osoyoos Elks Club.
Gone will be the popular haunted house that has been held in recent years in the dungeon-like basement of the Sonora Centre.
“It required a lot of resources in terms of time, energy, volunteers, staff, cleanup, set up and materials,” explained Sarah Dynneson, program supervisor with Town of Osoyoos community services.
“We felt the other aspects of the event were suffering, so we decided to drop the haunted house and put all our energies into the carnival part of it,” said Dynneson.
The Main Street and Sonora Centre events will dovetail together.
“We’re planning it so people can finish up Trick or Treat Main Street at 5 p.m. and then head over to our events,” said Dynneson. “They don’t have to go home in between.”
Quail says already there are 45 businesses participating this year in Trick or Treat Main Street. They will be listed on the event’s website and participating businesses will display posters.
The businesses, she said, will be on the stretch of Main Street between Smitty’s Restaurant and AG Foods and Johnston Meier Insurance.
The plan is to stick with that section of Main Street for safety reasons and consistency, she said.
The downtown event will take place in two time periods.
There will be a pre-school howl from 11 a.m. to noon, said Quail.
“Then we’re going to have the boils and ghouls from 2:30 p.m. until 5 p.m.,” she added.
Last year Halloween fell on a Saturday and some businesses were normally closed, but in some cases staff came in to provide treats to youngsters. This year it’s on a Monday, a day that some businesses also close.
The Osoyoos Credit Union (OCU) is not open for business Mondays, Quail said, but it will be open for a photo booth with Nikki Young of Nikki Dawn Photography and Kirsten McLean.
There will again be a costume contest and those entering will need to have their photos taken to participate.
The prize for the winner aged seven or under is a black and orange bicycle and for children eight and over the prize is a Windows tablet laptop, said Quail.
There’s also a colouring contest. Children can download the pictures from the website or pick them up at OCU.
Cast members from the upcoming Osoyoos Secondary School drama club’s performance of Beauty and the Beast will be on hand. The Osoyoos Royalty will also be helping with the photo booth.
Quail said the posters for the event will have a Ghostbusters theme, tied loosely to the film’s rerelease.
Quail, who first launched Trick or Treat Main Street in 2014 with OCU, says Halloween is her favourite day of the year.
“How can you not love Halloween?” she asks. “It’s so much fun and a lot less pressure than Christmas.”
The website for the event is being constantly updated, she said.
“I am so excited that all the businesses come forward every year,” she said. “There’s a great sense of community. Everybody comes out. I love that we get seniors, we get families, we get all the businesses involved. It’s not just Osoyoos Credit Union. This has become Osoyoos’ event.”
The website is at trickortreatmainstreet.ca or trickortreatmainstreet.com. You can also access it from the Osoyoos Credit Union website at osoyooscreditunion.com.
The Halloween Carnival at the Sonora Community Centre is a free event offering candy, carnival games, contests and prizes. There’s a bouncy castle and other activities.
Hotdogs will be sold to raise money for the OSS drama club.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Halloween fan Michelle Quail of Osoyoos Credit Union showed a poster for a previous Trick or Treat Main Street. (Richard McGuire file photo)
