Edmonton gets ready for a ghoulish Halloween

By Kimberly Melo

EDMONTON — Ghosts, goblins and ghouls, oh my. Halloween is here, and Edmontonians are bringing the spirit to their front doorsteps.

Erin Henderson, mother of three and resident of the former Halloween Alley, still goes all out with her Halloween décor. She’s got large blow-up pumpkins, lights and ghoulish figures hanging from the trees, although Halloween Alley, in the area of 147th Street and 103rd Avenue in Grovenor, has been on hiatus for the last few years.

“A lot of people who participated have kids, and they have grown up and moved out.,” Henderson said. “There is also a cost factor as well.”

Community participation may be lower than it has been in the past, but Henderson, along with a few other homeowners on the street, keep the spirit of Halloween Alley alive each year with lavish decorations and a fun atmosphere for young trick-or-treaters.

“We see a lot of kids here on Halloween,” Henderson said.

(For more on the effort to revive Halloween Alley, see Linda Hoang’s feature story.)

Looking for more Halloween fun? Head to the Norwood Haunted House located at 11319 95A St.

Paul and Carol Dagg created the Norwood Haunted House 11 years ago to raise donations for the food bank and to allow Edmontonians to indulge in some Halloween fun.

The Daggs have created an elaborate, fun and scary haunted house in their backyard. It’s a free and popular Halloween attraction drawing in about 2,500 people annually.

Not only is their homemade haunted house a frightening experience for visitors, but their own home also has some spooky history. The Daggs have had some eerie encounters of their own in their home, which was built in 1912.

“We’ve had a couple supernatural experiences,” Carol Dagg said. “We think it is a friendly ghost who likes to play tricks on us.”

As a group of young adults walked through the haunted set-up, shrieks and screams filled the air. “Get me out of here!” yelled Kyle Blayone, moments after entering.

“It was awesome!” said Ashley Tremblay. “I screamed the whole way through.”

Despite the fun and entertainment the Norwood Haunted House brings to locals, Carol and Paul Dagg do it for a good cause. Last year they raised about 150 pounds of food for the Edmonton food bank.

Looking to indulge in more Halloween fun on Oct. 31? Edmonton has a wide range of spooky events, including the following:

• Edmonton Ghost Tours
• Farm of Fear
• Screamfest Edmonton
• Heritage Manor Haunt
• Royal Gardens House of Horror

For more, see dedmonton.com.