Frightful and fun local Halloween events

The Halloween season has summoned from the grave all kinds of events in Westman, whether that be for children, adults or families. Here’s a few things going on in the area for the scary time of the year.

SCARY GREEN HOUSE FOR KIDS

Designed for kids between the ages of two and 10, the haunted greenhouse at Alternative Choice Garden Centre is meant to give a safe introduction to Halloween. There are no jump scares, but there is a haunted house for brave kids, and a colouring and family area outside, marketing manager Mike Mair told the Sun.

“It’s more set up for exploration, and we don’t do any jump scares and those kind of things,” Mair said. “It’s kind of their first introduction into Halloween. Because there’s a lot of haunted houses and those kind of things out there, but they’re not really geared towards the younger children.”

The space is intended to be roamed, he said, and there are plants worked into the decoration, and a lab and kitchen. The focus is giving children a good time they can experience at their own pace, he said.

“And that’s really what Halloween is, right? It’s meant for those younger kids, so it’s nice for them to have somewhere to go, see and do and not be scared of something jumping out and grabbing their leg.”

The Halloween-themed greenhouse is open Oct. 14-31. The hours for Monday to Friday are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Brandon Wheat Kings players will be on site on Oct. 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

All money collected from admissions will go to Westman Dreams for Kids. There is a one-time family pass that costs $10 for the season that gives access as many times as desired for the two-week event, Mair said.

The garden centre is at the corner of 34th Street and Patricia Avenue in Brandon.

MURDER-MYSTERY GAME NIGHT

For adults and older teenagers, a cold criminal case will be re-opened to catch a killer at the Dock on Princess. The pub will host the event upstairs, where each table of guests will be given a package of clues while regular food and drinks are served.

Suspect interviews, pictures and crime scene evidence will come in envelopes to each table of guests. Players will be tasked with reading their way through the challenge and sussing the identity of who killed the pop star Luna Knight back stage at her concert.

There will be different stages to the puzzle, and a host for the night will tell the story and help feed extra clues when they are needed.

“It’s kind of just a fun reason to get your friends together and go out and see if you can figure out the mystery,” general manager Erin Wells told the Sun. “It’s not specifically Halloween themed, but it kind of does tie in, just in the mystery aspect.”

The game is set to last about an hour and a half, however the doors are open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 29. It is meant to be fun and entertaining primarily, but the fastest table of guests to identify the real killer will win a prize of coupons for the restaurant.

Entry is free. Seats are limited. Guests will need to book their table in advance by calling 204-726-1234, or emailing erin@thedockonprincess.com.

HALLOWEEN TRIVIA NIGHT

For people ages 16 and up, the city’s Parks and Recreation team is hosting a trivia night devoted to Halloween themes. Questions will revolve around Halloween, with topics such as scary movies, Halloween history and true crime.

Staff are currently putting people on a waitlist because the event filled up fast, and staff will look to see if they can increase the space for the trivia night, recreation co-ordinator Brady Dane said. The trivia night will be hosted at T-Birds Food Fun Games at 2140 Currie Blvd. The event is on Oct. 30, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sign-ups are at brandon.ca/rec-programs.

Dane will emcee the night.

“It definitely leans into the Halloween theme, most of the questions will be around Halloween adjacent topics,” he said.

The program will run about two and a half hours, with five rounds of 10 questions, he said. The City of Brandon staff will be on-hand to run the event in collaboration with T-Birds in the upstairs restaurant, with food and drinks available for order.

The top three point scorers from trivia night will win prize packs that may include snacks, knick-knacks and gift cards. Teams of up to four people are allowed. The $40 entry, which adds up to about $10 per person, is to cover costs so the city can break even for hosting the event, Dane said.

HAUNTED FOREST

AND MOVIE NIGHT

All ages are welcome to visit Lucky Break Ranch on Oct. 16-19, where there is a dark forest trail alive with actors for Halloween, and a family area for those who prefer to stay out of the haunted woods.

The ranch has about 15 to 20 volunteers each night. Besides the haunted forest and its dedicated actors, the ranch hosts carnival games, a pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, face painting, a bouncy castle, an outdoor movie night and a canteen. The trail is more than a kilometre long, said owner Kim Richardson, and it was extended this year.

Scare hours run from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the ranch. There are also no-scare hours set up for people to go through and enjoy the decorations without live action, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; there will also be free pony rides and face painting at this time, Richardson told the Sun.

“It’s something for all ages, right? If you’re scared, you don’t have to go in the forest at night. There’s still stuff going on out front,” she said. “If you do like to be scared, by all means head into that forest.”

There is an entry fee of $5 for youth, $8 for adults, and $20 for a family pass. The ranch is raising money to help CancerCare Manitoba and the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, and collects food donations for the Riverdale Harvest Food Bank.

Richardson said the event is put on by herself and her siblings, who love Halloween and wanted to offer something for the locals.

“It’s our way to give back to the community and help others,” Richardson said. “The four of us sisters just have a big love for Halloween. So it’s just something we just figured we’d put together and create.”

The ranch also welcomes people who are interested in volunteering. The address is 0 Mayne Rd. in Rivers, just off Highway 250 between Rivers and Alexander.

HAUNTED HOUSE WITH

DEGREES OF HORROR

Cedar Hollow Scare Away Hunger suits the needs of different ages because it has varying levels of scariness. The journey through tarped garages with props is open on Oct. 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, and on Halloween itself. Depending on when you go, there will be a different level of horror.

Mike and Carla Mitchell designed the haunted house in their driveway, leading guests through a series of rooms and around corners made from tarps. Animatronics have been installed, being triggered into action as guests walk through, and scare actors are brought in as well to add to the experience.

Entry is by donation of a food item, which will be given to Samaritan House Ministries in Brandon.

“We wanted to combine our love of Halloween with the need to benefit people,” Carla said.

The couple prepares for roughly a month leading up to Halloween, they told the Sun. The props, like a werewolf, a ghoul lady and skeletons come from a storage space off-site.

“We saw how much people enjoyed it, and we decided this is something we’re really going to put effort into,” Mike said.

The event has grown every year, and this year the medium-scare tier was added by popular request, Carla said.

For a full-scare experience, all the animatronics will be turned on, and roughly 10 scare actors will be plotting against guests for excitement on Oct. 24, 25, and 26. Music and lighting will also be used to add to the effect. The full-scare experience is scheduled during the darkening hours of 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

For a medium-level scare experience, the scare actors will not be present on Oct. 18 and 19, however animatronics will be triggered to surprise guests and make sounds, and music and strobe lights will still be active. The medium-scare hours are during daylight, at 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For a no-scare walkthrough, where there are no scare actors, and the animatronics are turned off, visitors can come on Oct. 26 from noon to 4 p.m. There will be fun music, games and photo opportunities. The night is designed for children to get a chance to enjoy.

Halloween night will be the full-scare experience, combined with trick-or-treating. The Halloween hours are from 5p.m. to 9 p.m.

The haunted house is on Cedar Bay in Brandon.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com