Haunt in the Park awarded for Best Canadian Walk-Through Haunt in 2024

October 9, 2025 · 0 Comments

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

The Little Family Haunt in the Park is putting the Town of Shelburne on the map for a must-stop destination for Halloween, as they received nationwide recognition.

The Little Family Haunt in the Park has been given the 2024 Best Canadian Walk-Through Haunt award from the Canadian Haunters Association.

“What a surreal feeling. We have entered in previous year and never even made the top three, and now to have all our hard work acknowledged. It’s just a wonderful, fulfilling feeling to know we get the respect and acknowledgement of those in the haunting community,” said Carola Little, an organizer for the annual event.

The Canadian Haunters Association (CHA) was created in 2004 as a regional club, but quickly grew to a nationwide network of haunted attraction enthusiasts. Members of the Canadian Haunters Association create and share tips on home haunting, building props, costuming, makeup, scare acting, and all things Halloween-related.

Since 2012, the group has hosted an annual awards ceremony called the CHA Home Haunt Awards, which recognizes haunted attractions from across the country. Some of the awards handed out each year include: Best Set Design, Best Static and Animated Props, Best Costume, Best Scare Actor, Best Rookie Home Haunt, and Best Walk-Through Haunt.

The Little Family Haunt in the Park was awarded the 2024 Best Canadian Walk-Through Haunt and was judged on a number of aspects, including theme, creativity and originality, attention to detail, lighting, special effects, music, live actors, and videography.

“They came out on top in their category. Their haunt was very immersive and had quite a few different aspects of what the judges were looking for,” said Hugh Flesher, co-president of the Canadian Haunters Association. “They covered all the bases very well and scored quite high.”

The Little Family Haunt in the Park originally began in 1993 when Bob and Sue Little, and their three then-teenage children, set up a haunted house on the porch of their First Avenue home. As the family moved homes over the years, the event moved with them until they found a permanent home at Fiddle Park in 2015.

Last year, Haunt in the Park attracted 4,810 visitors and was able to raise 4,130 lbs of food and $2,512 for the Shelburne Food Bank.

“What was a very small beginning has grown [to be] so significant in this community, and they have come out full force year after year that we’re actually getting national recognition for our efforts. It’s not just the Little family, but all of us giving it our all every year to try to make Shelburne a destination for Halloween,” said Carola Little. “Now, it feels possible that people outside of our small little region are taking note of what we’re able to do when a community pulls together like we do.”

The 2025 Haunt in the Park will be held at KTH Manufacturing, located at 300 2nd Line, instead of Fiddle Park due to ongoing construction.

The Little Family Haunt in the Park events will be held on Oct. 24, 25, 31, and Nov. 1 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. A ‘Mini-Boo’ will be held on Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for younger children.