Despite rain, snow and cool weather, the Weechi-it-it-te-win Family Services (WFS) third annual “McTavish Haunted Woods” was a great success. The haunting event was held on the wooded trails of WFS’ Family Healing Program on McTavish Road in LaVallee Township, October 26 and 27. It was increased to two nights as the event last year saw over 1,300 people show up, resulting in long wait times and a lineup of cars down the highway.
There was something for every age group and the younger children had something new this year with a separate Children’s Trail which consisted of fun Halloween theme inflatables, straw bales, photo stand-ins and family-oriented costumed characters like SpongeBob SquarePants, a dancing gorilla and Rex. the dinosaur from Toy Story. The main trail featured a “Soft Scare” from 4-6:30 p.m. and the Hard Scare was held from 7-10 p.m. The trails were decorated with frightening displays, various lights and staff and volunteers in a wide variety of scary costumes lurking in the haunted woods to scare the brave souls walking the trails. Costumed characters, roaming the trail were a Sasquatch, ghouls, Michael Meyers, a werewolf, and a lumberjack, scaring people with an operating chain saw.
Special Projects Coordinator Danielle Bruyere had planned activities for all age groups and she was very pleased with the number of families that braved the weather to attend the event.
“We had 1,500 visitors of all ages over the two nights,” she said. “It was nice to see the families engaging and creating memories together.”
Danielle said they had over 1,330 pre registered over two nights and hundreds of others showed up. There was over 1,700 hotdogs and hamburgers served along with hundreds of bowls of chili. WFS said they were very appreciative of the support of the Township of LaVallee, the neighbours on McTavish Road and Dennis Robinson Ltd. for allowing use of their property for staff and overflow parking. WFS would also like to thank the student volunteers and Kitchen Creek Golf Course for supplying hamburger and hotdogs. Danielle said they are just finishing clean-up of the Haunted Woods and she is already been planning for the Christmas trail, which will be held in December.
