Haunting Halloween experience in Consecon

Story and photos by Sharon Harrison
With frightful rainfall forecast for Halloween today, ghosts and goblins who attended Consecon’s Haunting in the Hamlet were treated to a warm and sunny day for trick or treating on Saturday.

Though a low-key event compared to last year’s spooktacular presentation, the Ameliasburgh Recreation Committee, Consecon and Area Ratepayers Association, and area businesses pulled out all the stops to host a fun day.

The Halloween and harvest family-friendly event is meant as a spooky celebration of all things creepy, and relies on 20-30 volunteers to make the day happen.

Events at the Halloween-themed festivities were held along County Road 29 and all were easily walkable. A pancake breakfast at Legion Branch 509 started off the day. The United Church had a selection of craft vendors and the Consecon branch library offered green screen Halloween background photos for the kids and families. There were several food options from hotdogs and hot chocolate to Ras Bingi’s barbecue food truck.

Pirate Ray Patterson

“We have seven venues at Consecon Haunting in the Hamlet, including all the service organizations at the church and library,” said Ray Patterson of the Ameliasburgh Recreation Committee, and the main coordinator of the event. “Various businesses are actively involved, and each one of them has an activity included.”

This year, the event had a visiting passport system with a unique stamp for each participating location.

“If you get four stamps, you can get a passport prize,” explained Patterson. “We have been very successful this year in getting over $1,000 in prizes, so that will be split between the costume contest and the passport participation draw that will take place next week.”

The Masonic Lodge offered children’s games as well as Halloween lantern making. Led by Christine Renaud who guided participants in how to create the Halloween-themed perfect lantern, the free event was put on by The Department of Illumination. While the lanterns were intended to be taken home, the idea was to make a lantern to bring to the upcoming (Nov. 9) Firelight Lantern Festival at the Crystal Palace.

Horse-drawn trolley rides took people to event sites, as well as giving riders a glimpse of Consecon’s history. The big drawn of the day was the spooktacular Halloween costume contest. It took place in the gymnasium at nearby Bayfield School and featured a number of age categories, including a family category.

The panel of three judges were looking for three things: scariest, cutest and most original in each category. Age categories were up to four years, 5-9 years, 10-14 years, 15-18 years, and 19+. While the well-attended contest didn`t receive any entries in the 15-18 age category, the 5-9 age group more than made up for it with a very large number of entrants which made the judges role a difficult one. The contest concluded with a family category.

Costume contest participants in the 5-9 age category.

Costumes varied from Little Red Riding Hood, a glitter ball, a witch and a cheerleader among many.

Some entrants in the family category

Following, Randy Rogers, the mind magician, performed for a couple of hours, where his role was to bend your mind, warp your mind and wrap your mind with his mind tricks.