The zombies were out in full force at Fort Steele Heritage Town’s annual Halloween Spooktacular event held on Saturday, October 26.

The ghost town was alive with costumed revellers and eager trick or treaters and great fun was had by all due to the dedication and hard work of many staff, volunteers, and community organizations who pitched in to make it, once again, a very successful and friendly experience for the thousands of young and young at heart who attended.

Many thanks are extended to local groups and businesses who supported the event by volunteering time and resources to ensure that everyone enjoyed a night of fun and special treats. A special thank you to Matt Gareau and his hard working staff at Tim Hortons for serving coffee and hot chocolate to an enthusiastic crowd and donating the proceeds to Fort Steele as a gesture of support for the event and its contribution to the community.

Tim Hortons also donated the donuts for the donut eating game that has become a Spooktacular tradition! Thank you also to Save On Foods, Safeway, A&W, and Pepsi for hosting trick or treat houses on site.

UCT volunteers manned bonfires throughout town, and members of the Foresters provided man power to support the jack-o-lantern carving contest and other trick or treat locations.  A special thank you to Safeway, Save On Foods, Snowdrift Café, and the Cranbrook and District Chamber of Commerce for selling tickets for the event at their locations.  We are also grateful to B104 for being present with their mascot, Buzz Bee, and for donations of equipment by Sandor Rentals.  Programme support was also provided by Columbia Basin Trust and many local media provided free event listings to promote the event.

A huge thank you is extended to very enthusiastic and dedicated Fort Steele staff members who spent months planning and preparing for the site wide event including revamping the scary haunted house and resurrecting the fairytale haunted house in the barracks for the little ones.  In order for all of the activities to be carried out the event required a large number of volunteers and additional personnel and for that we are very grateful for the efforts put forward to ensure everyone had a good time. With over 140 volunteers giving about 350 hours of their time, and about 17 staff members, visiting ghosts and goblins were well looked after.

In the theatre, the amazing stage show was presented by members of the Aspire and Stages dance groups and was a highlight of the evening.

Thanks again to everyone who participated and assisted. You all know who you are and if not mentioned here are no less significant in making the event a success. Plans for next year are already underway.  Anyone who is interested in helping us with next year’s event, please let us know at any time.

Above photo:  left to right: Matthew Gareau, Owner, Tim Hortons Cranbrook, Jennifer Dunkerson, General Manager, Friends of Fort Steele Society, Tracy Pound, HR Manager & Volunteer Coordinator, Friends of Fort Steele Society and Denis Demers, Store Manager, Tim Hortons Cranbrook presenting a donation of $4,132 to Fort Steele.

Join Fort Steele Heritage Town for the entertainingly funny performance of ‘Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and then some!)’ at the Wildhorse Theatre on selected dates in December. Call 250-417-6000 for more information.

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