The Brant Historical Society and the Myrtleville-Mayfair Neighbourhood Association hosted its fourth annual Halloween Haunt at the Myrtleville House Museum on Saturday, October 26, 2024.
Despite the afternoon rain, nearly 1,000 residents of all ages stopped in to experience an evening of spooktacular fun.
Upon arrival, youngsters and their families stopped by the candy giveaway station at the entrance to grab a bag of Halloween goodies, make a donation to the two organizations, and to say hello to the friendly members of the Myrtleville-Mayfair Neighbourhood Association.
As visitors made their way up the gravestone-lined pathway, they quickly began spreading out to explore the property or hop in line for the haunted house.
After touring through both floors of the victorian-era home, which featured a host of ghosts and spooky decor, those looking for an extra fright braved their way through the “Scare Zone” where several teenagers were waiting to jump out and scare them.
For the youngsters who wanted a less spooky experience, many began heading over to the kids zone on the other side of the property.
“Over in the barn we have a spot where the younger kids can just hangout, get warm and play games,” said Esther Brouwer, Myrtleville’s Education Programmer.
Inside, several visitors tried their hand at checkers, shuffleboard, cornhole, and ring toss.
As the sun began to set, a campfire was set up for guests to warm up while on the other side of the lawn, families cuddled up with blankets to watch various Halloween movies like the Nightmare Before Christmas and the Addams Family.
Mandi Besta, a member of the Myrtleville-Mayfair Neighbourhood Association, said that because they want to keep the event as barrier-free as possible, none of it would be possible without the help of the local community.
“It’s really important to us that we do our best to keep this event free to the community. We don’t have a big budget to work with so it’s all volunteer run and we rely heavily on donations, and thankfully, the community has been very generous,” Besta said. “Whether it’s donating decorations and candy, coming out to our pumpkin carving event the week before, volunteering inside the haunted house or just helping with set up and tear down, the community has really come through in supporting us throughout the years and we couldn’t do this without them.”
Besta said that while one of the best parts of the event is seeing everyone dressed up, it’s getting to see everyone from the neighbourhood having a good time, which she really loves.
“One of the things that I’ve come to really love is the fact that it’s truly a community event,” she said. “The kids are linking up with other kids from their school and their extracurricular activities, and they’re coming with their families in little group costumes and it’s just so nice to see everyone together playing and laughing, you know?”
Brantford resident Veronica Ouellette, who brought her two kids and her husband along to the event, said that while it was her first time visiting the Halloween Haunt, she was impressed with everything that was set up around the property.
“It’s cute and my kids are definitely loving it,” said Ouellette. “I think they’re still a bit young to brave the haunted house just yet, but they’ve really been liking the kids zone and checking out all the inflatables so it’s a good time. They’ve just been running around and having a blast so I’m happy.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
