Are you ready for the ghosts and goblins?
Yes, it’s just Oct. 2 and Halloween isn’t for another four weeks — but that hasn’t stopped some planning to make the event memorable.
There are homeowners throughout the city planning their annual displays of fright and delight but there are some other public places that are ready to get into the spirit.
Tranquille Farms is inviting the public out for its family Halloween nights on Saturday, Oct. 27 and Sunday, Oct. 28.
The main attraction will be the corn maze that has been challenging and delighting people in recent weeks, said development manager Tim McLeod.
It won’t be frights a la Freddy Krueger — more along the lines of what famed director Alfred Hitchcock might have devised, McLeod said, where there will be some creepy noises but the maze wanderers will have to use their imaginations to conjure up what is making those sounds.
“We want you to get scared but not terrified,” he said.
The pumpkins will be coming out of the patch, as well, and presented in a way that kids can sit on them, carve them and have some fun.
There will also be apple-bobbing and other entertainment.
The goal is to keep it family friendly, McLeod said, so admission is $20 for a family of four, $6 for children and $8 for adults.
Children need to be accompanied by an adult.
McLeod said the farm has been busy since it opened in the summer, with “thousands of people” coming out to take advantage of the Farmers’ Market, the chefs on site whipping up food and the 90-minute historic tours he said cover 6,000 years of history in the area.
The tours cost $17 and have to be booked in advance by email to info@tranquillefarmfresh.ca.
Tours are at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
McLeod said he expects the market will end on Oct. 28 — judging from how the vegetable gardens are looking these days — and that will be the end of events at Tranquille for a while.
“We’ll take a break and then we’ll start planning for Christmas.”
The farm has many school trips booked now and has started two-hour photography tours where someone accompanies the shooters and gives the history of what they’re capturing.
For the more creative Halloween fan, the Kamloops Farmers’ Market and the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association are sponsoring a scarecrow-building contest on Wednesday, Oct. 3.
There is no entry fee; groups just build their scarecrow and bring it to the market between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
There will be an option to build mini-scarecrows at the market as well.
Entries in the main contest will be grouped by age or type of group before judging.
Individuals will be judged separately and prizes will be awarded.
Pre-registration is recommended by going online to kcbia.com.
Sahali Mall is hosting a Halloween-themed fundraiser for two charities in the city.
On Friday, Oct. 5, and Saturday, Oct. 6, the mall will be decorated throughout and offer arts and crafts, bouncy castles, a colouring contest, face painters and more, including a haunted house put on by Halloween Alley, which has an outlet in the mall.
Participation is by donation with proceeds going to the New Life Mission for its upcoming Thanksgiving dinner.
The haunted house has a separate by-donation charge, with those proceeds going to Bald Kids Rule, a local charity that provides support for families of children with cancer..
The events run from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 5 and 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 6.
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