INNISFAIL - For two straight evenings the weather cooperated for the Innisfail and District Historical Village.
And that meant Mother Nature's blessing created two glorious autumn evenings for Innisfailians, especially for trick or treating kids, to have a grand, creepy but fun time at the village's annual Halloween Party.
Although official attendance numbers have not yet been released, village officials were clearly ecstatic during the first night on Oct. 21 with the early enthusiasm from the public.
“If I break 100 I am good. That is a personal goal. It would match what we did last year,” said Anna Lenters, president of the board of the Innisfail Historical Society, when asked about the success of the event on opening night.
This year's event featured all the previous parties' big stars and attractions – Dracula, The Witch in the Witch Room, goblins, ghosts, swashbucklers, and crafts and balloons in the Tea Room – but there were also new attractions, including a laid-back Frankenstein at the Hespero Pioneer Church being checked out on a hospital bed, and the Tunnel of Terror.
“It's for little kids. They walk through. They can no longer see. It is a tactile thing. There are bells and sounds,” said Lenters of the tunnel, adding she has made it her mission to be both creative for the party and to switch things up from year to year.
Lenters was clearly delighted with the cooperation from Mother Nature and the two glorious evenings that were served up for the party on Oct. 21 and 22, which were 10 and nine days earlier than Halloween's official Oct. 31 date. But there were good reasons for the early party dates, she said.
“When we looked at the calendar it was getting too close to Halloween. We assumed there would be a lot of church and family parties and then it would be a conflict,” said Lenters. “And weather. The later in the season, the riskier it is.” But there was no such risk this year for the Halloween party. With that boost village officials will now eagerly plan for their next big event -- next month's Christmas at the Village.
For more information on the historical village and its upcoming events visit the website at http://www.innisfailhistory.ca or call 403-227-2906.
