BARRHEAD – For the first time since 2019, area children and the young at heart will once again be able to take part in the annual pumpkin walk as the founder of intended: on foot.
Usually, the event sees participants take a self-guided tour of 600-700 jack-o-lanterns to take in the various booths. But in 2020, the organizers had to cancel the walk due to the pandemic, and last year, the organizers hosted a modified, drive-thru event in the Barrhead Agrena parking lot, with parents driving their children through a path of jack-o-lanterns with youngsters filling their treat bags through windows and doors.
Pembina West Co-op general manager Allan Cote started the event about 15 years ago when he noticed Barrhead did not have any family-friendly, safe alternatives to trick-or-treating.
The popular event, which attracts upwards of 4,000 people, moved to the Barrhead Sportsgrounds five years ago when the event outgrew its old location at the Paddle River Golf Course.
This year’s event will take place on Friday, Oct. 28. Gates open at 6 p.m., and a fireworks show will begin at 8 p.m.
"We are so excited to be able to put on a normal event again, a walkthrough" Amanda Lambert said, adding that as of Thanksgiving Monday, they had over a dozen booths lined up, adding what each booth offers in terms of the experience and treatment would be up to them.
Lambert and a committee of community members took over organizing the event in 2018, after Pembina West Co-op opted out of organizing the event, as they were preoccupied with the opening of their new food store.
However, she said there will be no shortage of entertainment, from carnival games and activities hosted at the various booths to performances from a local dance studio.
"And then there are the pumpkins themselves," she said, also noting there would be the traditional hot dog snack at the end of the walk.
Lambert noted that area schools would be supplying the freshly carved jack-o-lanterns, in some cases being completed only a few hours before the event. She also added that the Town of Barrhead is hosting a simultaneous haunted house in the Barrhead Agrena's Charles Godberson Rotary Room.
"(This year, Pembina West Co-op) is supplying the pumpkins," she said, adding in past years, the two local grocery stores often shared the pumpkin duties.
Most of the pumpkins will go to Barrhead Elementary School (BES) whose students will be carving their jack-o-lanterns in two sessions at the Barrhead Senior's Drop-in Centre on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28.
This is different from most years, with most classes opting to carve their pumpkins in class.
However, Lambert said to accommodate issues from students and staff that have food allergies, the school decided to do the carving off-site.
As for how people can help, Lambert said the committee has enough volunteers to set up what she believes will be upwards of 750 jack-o-lanterns, adding that the organizing committee has really streamlined the process in recent years, but monetary donations are always welcome.
"Although we are all volunteers, and we are putting it on for the community, there are some costs involved when staging an event like this," she said.
More information about the Barrhead Community Pumpkin Walk and how to contribute can be found on their Facebook page.
