{"id":32052,"date":"2022-10-13T23:56:54","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T03:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=32052"},"modified":"2022-10-13T23:56:56","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T03:56:56","slug":"spooky-fun-set-to-abound-at-haunted-forests-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/spooky-fun-set-to-abound-at-haunted-forests-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Spooky fun set to abound at Haunted Forest\u2019s return"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Young ghouls and goblins looking to have some spooky fun with their families leading up to Hallowe\u2019en can take terrifying trip down memory lane \u2013 or make brand new memories \u2013 as Aurora\u2019s Haunted Forest returns to Sheppard\u2019s Bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held throughout the global pandemic at the Joint Operations Centre and retooled as Aurora\u2019s Haunted Greenhouses, the lifting of public health restrictions has allowed a return to the traditional Haunted Forest, and a much larger canvas for event planners to let their creativity fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t been back in the bush since 2019 and just in these last few years there has been so much growth in the Bush, from the height of the trees to the foliage, the Bush really has a personality of its own. We are excited to be back there, plotting and planning our way through the trails,\u201d says Shelly Ware, Special Events Coordinator for the Town of Aurora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe call this the \u2018pinata of Halloween\u2019 because we\u2019re plotting out between the family displays, the scary trail displays, trying to come up with various themes throughout as well as working within how the Bush is actually lying right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before revellers get to see what the Haunted Forest has in store for them on October 29, the fun will begin at the Aurora Family Leisure Complex with several ghoulish games planned to keep everyone busy and having fun while waiting for their shuttle over to Sheppard\u2019s Bush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have three different craft stations, five different game stations, all Halloween-themed from scarecrow bowling, to Zombie eyeball toss, and some cool photo ops as well,\u201d says Ms. Ware. \u201cThere\u2019s something for everyone on the inside, regardless of age. Ultimately, you get an indoor experience, coupled with an authentic trail experience at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over at Sheppard\u2019s Bush, participants will be able to enjoy a scary trail that is not for the fainthearted, and another trail that is more kid-friendly. Bonfires are set to return, along with the Aurora Optimists, who will be there with their charity food truck, and additional food provided by Caterina\u2019s Kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always have to shake things up, so this year greater focus and attention will be spent on the exit trail,\u201d says Ms. Ware. \u201cIt is going to also be a different configuration in terms of where the bonfire is and the initial gathering of people. We\u2019re enjoying ourselves getting the Bush ready and the Bush is certainly cooperating, but it\u2019s also intense \u2013 it takes over 150 volunteers, which is more than 700 volunteer hours. At this point we do need volunteers who are willing to be a character. All the other positions in support roles have been full, but we\u2019re looking for more characters and actors who are willing to put on a costume and participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is really special to have a unique trail experience with the Halloween theme. You would have to travel well out of your way, out of York Region and beyond, to find such an experience. Within the GTHA, this experience is local to you. It is definitely something to be explored. Halloween is the second most participated holiday out of the entire year and it is a holiday that is appealing for all age groups from little wee ones to teens, to adults, to even mature adults. It really is something for everyone and we do cater for all interest levels in the sense that we have family trails vs. scary trails but it is something you don\u2019t need to travel out of Aurora. Come in and see what we have to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[And] for those who haven\u2019t experienced the event before, they may never have experienced the Bush to begin with, so coming to the event may mean that you return as a trail walker thereafter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Registration for the October 29 Haunted Forest event is open now at aurora.ca\/hauntedforest. Wristbands are $5 per person for participants two years of age and older and can be purchased at the Aurora Family Leisure Complex, Aurora Town Hall, and the Stronach Aurora Recreation Complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event runs from 6 \u2013 9 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Top 100 Festivals & Events in Ontario honouree, this year\u2019s Haunted Forest is presented by Healthy Planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Young ghouls and goblins looking to have some spooky fun with their families leading up to Hallowe\u2019en can take terrifying trip down memory lane \u2013 or make brand new memories \u2013 as Aurora\u2019s Haunted Forest returns to Sheppard\u2019s Bush. Held throughout the global pandemic at the Joint Operations Centre and retooled as Aurora\u2019s Haunted Greenhouses, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-8kY","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-15 12:31:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32052\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}