Haunted Greenhouse open to ghouls and goblins Saturday

A spooky stroll through Aurora's Haunted Forest might have to wait for another year, but the Town is scaring up a creepy cavalcade this Halloween with the second annual Aurora's Haunted Greenhouse.

Set to take over the Joint Operations Centre (JOC) on Industrial Parkway North this Saturday, October 23, and again on October 27 – 30, there will be thrills around every corner as organizers flex their frighteningly creative muscles to transform the space for little ghouls, goblins and their families.

“Every single display is so unique that you will have no idea what is coming up next,” says Shelley Ware, Special Events Coordinator for the Town of Aurora, who has been working with her team for weeks to get this off the ground.

Last year was the first year for the Haunted Greenhouse as an alternative to the long-running Haunted Forest as Sheppard's Bush. There were a lot of unknowns the first time around and despite some uncertainty still in the air due to COVID-19, having one year under their belt already has helped them fully realize the creative opportunities inside the nurseries.

“This year the space is more familiar and many of our volunteers have returned and there is a sense that it is definitely stronger right out of the gate,” says Ms. Ware. “Our subject matter is very diverse because you're going to go from one display theme, snakes and cactuses for instance, to ninjas and ghosts going up an agility ladder. Every single display is so unique that you don't even know what is coming next – it's all about the unknowns.”

But, in the wider world, with rising vaccine rates, there are, to some degree, a few less unknowns to worry about.

“Last year, the community was so appreciative that there was something going on because it was looking like nothing all around,” says Ms. Ware of the uncertainty of planning a Halloween event in the early months of COVID. “That was really rewarding and then this year of not being able to do it in the Bush and knowing we had one more year at the greenhouse…many, many people from the community were already emailing us [on] when to register.

“It is nice that people are looking for this now versus not knowing what to expect. We're excited to see that come to fruition and we're also excited to go into the forest next year – and who knows what that might even look like! It could be a hybrid model.”

Registration is open now for the Haunted Greenhouse at aurora.ca/hauntedgreenhouse.  Attendees must pre-register for one of two time slots on each night the Haunted Greenhouses are open. Time slots are from 5.30 – 7 p.m., and 7.30 – 9 p.m. Admission is $3 per person and proof of vaccination is required for visitors 12 years of age and older, along with government-issued ID and your date of birth.

The Haunted Greenhouse isn't the only Halloween initiative being spearheaded by the Town. An added attraction this year will be a “Trick or Trunk” event challenging residents to deck out their car trunks on a Halloween theme and register them for display at the JOC to coincide with the Greenhouses.

If that is not your thing, try the Town's new Halloween Scavenger Hunt.

The Halloween Community Scavenger Hunt is on now and powered by the GooseChase app.

“We will be providing missions in the form of activities and challenges, well over 60 of them,” says Ms. Ware. “Families sign up on their phone and missions get released daily. It will help guide a family's excitement in the build-up to Halloween. It is just doing simple activities like dressing their family pet in a costume and posting a photo. The app is enabling us to connect with the community and get greater engagement without a physical in-person presence because people can do the scavenger hunt on their own time, in their own space, confident of their own safety.

“Make this and the Greenhouse part of your family's tradition. We're purposely not holding a Greenhouse on Halloween so you can have your own family tradition, but hopefully you will take advantage of this truly unique experience that is in your own community.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter