The annual Halloween Festival returns to Harmony Square 

Piper Force/ News Editor
Pumpkins on display after carving contest

On the weekend of Oct. 4 and 5, the City of Brantford celebrated the 16th annual Scare in the Square in Harmony Square. 

The event included multiple free activities, such as costume contests, trick or treating, craft stations and a jeep parade. There were also paid attractions for the event, like escape rooms, a haunted trail walk and hayrides, which ranged in prices from $2 to $5. 

John Donaldson, who has been on the Scare in the Square committee since its fourth year but working the event since year one, said the event strives to make attractions as affordable as possible for families attending.  

“We do our best to recoup the cost without making profit,” said Donaldson. 

Scare in the Square has grown beyond the Brantford community, bringing in individuals such as Amy Moore, who travelled from Chatham-Kent, Ont. to participate in the Jeep parade. Moore participated in Scare in the Square for the first time this year., 

“I’m excited to see all the vendors and the kids dressed up,” said Moore.  

The Brantford area Jeep club decorated their Jeeps with all kinds of Halloween themed decorations, such as large skeletons, ghosts and caution tape for children to look at while they travelled to the club’s tent for candy. 

Scare in the Square has been proven to be a staple in the Brantford community, attracting return participants like Leanne Corbet. Corbet returned to Scare in the Square to hand out candy to children from her and her colleagues’ booth for Mitsui High-Tec (Canada) Inc.  

“It’s always busy and fun. It’s nice to be involved in the community and getting our name [Mitsui High- Tec] out there while seeing the kids happy,” said Corbet. 

Scare in the Square provided many attractions for families with young children, but the event also caters to older Wilfrid Laurier University students in the area. Attractions such as the haunted trail walk, which was Purge themed this year, tailors to an audience of 18 and older. The event was accessible by a shuttle to Mohawk Park in Brantford where the attraction was located. 

Jennifer Middleton from the City of Brantford encourages Laurier students to get involved with the community and Harmony Square events by applying to volunteer in the future. 

“We’re always in contact with Laurier and love to see their students at our events. Our next upcoming would be the Remembrance Day ceremony on November 11 and we greatly encourage students to attend,” said Middleton. 

This article was originally published in print Volume 24, Issue 3 on Thursday, November 7.