Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

It's almost time for the ghosts, ghouls and creatures that go bump in the night to crawl their way out, and a spooktacular weekend of Halloween-themed events is coming to Shelburne. 

The Shelburne BIA is bringing back their annual Treats in the Streets event on Saturday (Oct. 29). 

“It seems to be a really well-received event. We have a lot of participants every year, which is awesome to see,” said Melissa Hooper, treasurer for the Shelburne BIA. “It gives a great chance to bring people out to downtown and see what's there.” 

The event will begin at Jack Downing Park, where trick-or-treat bags will be handed out. Participants will then take part in the Great Pumpkin Hunt, a scavenger hunt for pumpkins located in local downtown businesses. 

“As they trick or treat at the businesses, they will have to write down the pumpkin number that they see at each location as a way for them to pay attention to the businesses that are downtown. It goes into a ballot and we will pull for a prize,” explained Hooper.

This year, the Shelburne BIA is covering the cost of the goody bags through their annual budget. Hooper said the cost of the bags will be around $700. 

“The idea behind us coving the cost of the bags is to help businesses come back post-COVID; it's the least we could do,” said Hooper. 

The Shelburne BIA is working alongside the Little's Haunt in the Park and the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex (CDRC), who host a drive-thru trick-or-treat event, to create a town-wide Halloween experience. 

A shuttle bus has been organized with Attridge to help attendees move between the three events. 

The BIA Treats in the Streets event will take place on Saturday (Oct. 29) at Jack Downing Park from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.