Halloween has come early to the Upper Ottawa Valley. The Richard’s View Spook Walk will take place this weekend in Laurentian Hills. One of the Owners of Richard’s View Stable, Chris Cole, says with help from the community they’ve transformed two kilometers of forested trails into a social distanced spook walk. She says they’ve had volunteers helping from all across Canada.
Cole says they will have scare sites, a photo booth, costume contests and you can also vote for your favourite carved pumpkins.
She adds last year with COVID restrictions they welcomed about 1,600 people through the spook walk in groups of ten. Cole says while some people had to wait up to two hours last year to get in and it was cold, nobody complained.
With some restrictions lifted this year there is no capacity limits, but everyone is encouraged to wear a mask when social distancing can’t be maintained. Cole is encouraging those who come to bring proper footwear and a flashlight as the trails will have minimal lighting and you never know what spooky things might be in the woods.
Each group completing the Spook Walk will exit at the ‘Witch’s Fire’, far from the entrance, where they will collect their hot chocolate and bags of Halloween goodies for the whole family. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
The cost to attend is $20 per household with proceeds going towards the “Just As I Am” program offered by Richards View Stable. “Just As I Am” is a non-profit, Gestalt Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy program run by Richard’s View Stables for (but not limited to) veterans, first responders, trauma survivors, and their families.
The Spook Walk will take place at Richard’s View Stable (149 Brouse Road in Laurentian Hills) on Friday, October 22nd from 7:00pm to 9:00pm and Saturday, October 23rd from 3:00pm to 9:00pm.