The annual Scare with the Mayor is planned for 6:00–9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 31 at the TC Energy Centre in Île-des-Chênes. Everyone is invited to attend this free, family-friendly event where there will be candy, popcorn, and Halloween-themed activities, including the opportunity to “scare” Ritchot mayor Chris Ewen.
“There is candy and popcorn for everyone that attends,” says Shane Ray, director of Recreation Services for the RM. “People can walk through the pumpkin path, which is aimed at the younger ones who might be a little afraid, or they can follow the haunted pathway to see if they can make it through unscathed.”
Whether guests enjoy the evening as their main Halloween experience or drop by after they’ve already done their own trick-or-treating, organizers hope the community enjoys the opportunity to have some fun with their local municipal leaders.
“We encourage everyone to attend… and enjoy the cast of ghost and ghouls with friends and family,” says Ray. “The point is to bring the communities together in a fun safe manner on Halloween—and it’s an excuse for Chris to wear a costume himself!”
While the RM’s goals are community-minded, Ray says that it’s the mayor himself who is the driving force behind the annual event.
“Chris is involved in every aspect of the event from planning to recruiting volunteer, sponsors and set up,” says Ray. “He has a bunch of great volunteers who dress up and take part, but he is the one running around picking up supplies.”
Volunteers and organizers from both the RM and TC Energy Centre, as well as a group of local businesses, have organized the event and donated supplies.
“This was something I wanted to do from my first Halloween as mayor,” says Ewen, who says that he has always loved Halloween. “100 percent yes! I’ve just always enjoyed the decorations, costumes, and as a kid seeing what candy loot I would score.”
Ewen’s costume is top secret. He won’t give away what he intends to dress up as this year, but he invites the public to come and see for themselves.
Because the name of the event is Scare with the Mayor, organizers want people to know that Ewen won’t be setting out to intentionally scare anyone.
Although the name of the event hasn’t changed, one thing is different this year: the addition of a main sponsor, Green For Life (GFL) has donated toward the future of the community-based event to help organizers establish this as a top-notch activity to consider attending with your family on Halloween night.
“GFL’s amazing contribution allows us to grow this event significantly over the next two years,” says Ewen. “So no name change, just a top-tier sponsorship.”
