Boo-Humbug! Halloween is right around the corner and it seems unlike most people I am not excited. Halloween is probably my least favourite holiday of the year. Don’t get me wrong I have a huge sweet tooth and I love that come November 1st I can purchase a wide assortment of discounted candy, but the idea of dressing up leaves me humdrum. The best part of pumpkins is the pie and I really have no desire to be scared. I ask…who really likes being scared?
Here’s the problem. My son Ryan loves Halloween. The day still has magic for an almost four year old. He’s excited to have the chance to dress up as his favourite superhero of the day (this year is 
Spiderman, last year was Batman) and can’t wait for the trick-or-treating, candy, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and everything Halloween has to offer. I can’t be the father who lets my grumpiness about October 31st rub off on Ryan. This means I have to find family friendly Halloween activities that we can enjoy together as a family. Here are a few things I recommend for you to check out.
Last weekend was the Halloween Spooktacular at Huble Homestead. Make sure to get this on your calendar for next year as they host a great Halloween event. For those that like a bit of a scare, every year, they turn the heritage house into a themed haunted house – this year the theme was “black magic”. In addition to the haunted house, they have a kid friendly maze, trick or treating, magic shows, pumpkin carving, and the opportunity to sit around a campfire and enjoy a hot chocolate while warming up.
Over the next couple days you have opportunities to check out some Tim family friendly Halloween activities.
On Sa
turday October 29th, the Railway and Forestry Museum is hosting a Fairy Tale Halloween. This event will have games, crafts and pumpkin picking. Admission is a non-perishable donation for the local foodbank. You can also head out to Black Spruce Farms and not only visit with all the animals, but also check out their pumpkin patch and find the perfect pumpkin to take home.
On Halloween, you can head over to Pine Centre Mall between 2:30 and 5:00 p.m. When at the mall, kids can trick or treat at participating stores and then make sure to check out centre court as it has been transformed in to Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. You can get your picture taken and even get a 5×7 to take home.
After your night of trick-or-treating, make sure to hit up the fireworks at either College Heights Secondary at 8:15 p.m. or Ecole Lac Des Bois at 7:30 p.m. Last year we took Ryan and he got to experience fireworks for the first time. It was amazing to watch the pure joy and excitement he experienced.
As you can see, there are a lot of opportunities to participate in family friendly Halloween events – even for a Grinch like me. Please remember to be safe on Monday. Drive slow when in neighbourhoods and make sure if you are out trick-or-treating to make yourself visible.
As always if you want to connect please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter or Instagram (@tiben12).
Until next time,
Tim
