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Walking in a fantasy land

Across the snowy terrain, more than 600 manic grins glowed in the dark. They pulled you, they intrigued you. Come with us … if you dare, they seemed to say.
Alena Widdup, Elyse Hewitt, Keanna Widdup and Kaitlyn Christiansen crouch in front of Allison Kryskow and Samantha Emery during a Footworks Dance Academy performance at
Alena Widdup, Elyse Hewitt, Keanna Widdup and Kaitlyn Christiansen crouch in front of Allison Kryskow and Samantha Emery during a Footworks Dance Academy performance at Barrhead’s annual Pumpkin Walk Halloween evening.

Across the snowy terrain, more than 600 manic grins glowed in the dark. They pulled you, they intrigued you. Come with us … if you dare, they seemed to say.

The pumpkin faces promised a walk into the unknown, where scary creatures lurked and strange cries rent the icy air. Everywhere skulked a witch, everywhere a ghost.

The imagination knew no limits, for this was the Co-op's Family Pumpkin Walk. And this was Halloween.

Somehow the early snowfall enhanced the experience, turning the Paddle River Golf Course last Wednesday into a fantasy world. It became a Narnian landscape irresistible to children and adults.

About 1,250 walkers crunched through the snow, along a shimmering path bordered by Jack-o'-lanterns – the creation of Barrhead Elementary School youngsters.

By themselves the grinning pumpkins looked sinister, but compared to many other creatures of the night they looked pretty cheerful, albeit brimming with mischief as they enticed you to keep walking.

Come with us … if you dare.

A varied cast of characters accepted the offer: witches, scythe-wielding scarecrows, werewolves, blood-soaked nurses and skeletons, creepy clowns and A Nightmare on Elm Street's mass murderer Freddy Krueger.

Occasionally a less fearsome being appeared, a little princess wearing a tiara, perhaps, or the Alien from Toy Story, but they tended to be the exception.

Ah yes, the Pumpkin Walk provided chills aplenty, if not from monsters looming out of shadows in the haunted graveyard, then from sub-zero temperatures. Gauges may have only showed -7, but the wind made it feel much colder. It was an occasion for toques, mittens, and munching on free hot dogs and clutching cups of hot chocolate, courtesy of the Co-op.

Thankfully, there were also fires en route to take the nip out of the air as walkers moved between booths, where treats were routinely handed out.

A traditional highlight was a performance by Fooworks Dance Academy whose dancers gave a lesson in keeping warm by stretching, turning, twisting and dropping to Halloween classics like Monster Mash and Thriller.

Fireworks provided a cracking end to a cracking evening. One of those who attended was Barrhead Mayor Brian Schulz.

"I thought it was a fantastic Pumpkin Walk," he said.

Pumpkin Walk organizer, the Co-op's Brian Lamha, was delighted with the number of people who turned out, despite the chilly weather.

"I think the orange pumpkins showed up really nicely against the snow," he said.

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