Archive

Final Holmes’ Halloween Haunt to be ‘biggest, best ever’

October 24, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Orangeville resident Glenn Holmes is advising locals to prepare for the fright of their life as he puts the finishing touches to his Halloween Haunt, opening this weekend on Biscayne Crescent. 

This marks the ninth successive year that the Holmes family have transformed their home into a haven for Halloween enthusiasts. Located at 93 Biscayne Crescent, the scene has been a popular site for youth and adults alike over the years, and Mr. Holmes is encouraging local residents to take advantage before the Haunt goes on an extended, potentially permanent, hiatus.

“This is going to be a big year for us, easily the biggest and best haunt we’ve ever done,” Mr. Holmes informed the Citizen. “This is going to be our last one for a while, so we’re really trying to go out with a bang. We’re really excited for some of the scenes and props we’ll have this year.”

Running with the theme ‘Variety is the Spice of Death’, this year’s Haunt will feature five spooky standalone scenes. One of the scenes is so elaborate, Mr. Holmes says, that he sought out a local sponsor to help cover some of the cost.

“Local mechanic shop Top Technicians have come on board and have agreed to sponsor one of the scenes for us, then we’re also going to have Dave the Butcher out on Halloween night to cook up some food on the grill for our guests. He’ll be cooking sausages for everyone before, or after, they go through the house.”

Admission, as always, is completely free, while those attending are encouraged to bring along non-perishable food items, which will be donated to the Orangeville Food Bank. Cash donations will also be accepted. Since introducing the food raising component four years ago, the Holmes have been able to donate more than 2,000 pounds of food to the local food bank. 

When asked why he chose the food bank as the beneficiary of the event, Mr. Holmes noted it was an organization that helps out those in the most need in our community.

“We wanted to find a way to do something without necessarily setting an entry price to go through the house, or without collecting money at all. With Thanksgiving just passed and Christmas on the horizon, it’s a time of year when people really rely on our food bank. Since that first year, we’ve really grown this component, to the point now that we’re able to donate hundreds of pounds of food every year.”

More than 20 volunteers have come together to provide “easily” 150 hours of work in preparing and setting up this year’s Haunt. Reflecting on the past decade, Mr. Holmes said he’s hoping to provide one final event that will live long in the memory.

“This is probably going to be the final haunted house, so come out and check us out. It will be better scenes than we’ve ever had before, there will be food on site and just prepare to come out, have some fun and be scared – have a good time with it,” Mr. Holmes said. “We’re really outdoing ourselves this year. Some of the scares will be ridiculous, without going too over the top, so make sure you prepare yourselves.”

The Holmes’ Halloween Haunt will take place this Saturday (Oct. 26) from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., with another night of frights scheduled for next Thursday (Oct. 31), again from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.


Readers Comments (0)





Please note: Comment moderation is enabled and may delay your comment. There is no need to resubmit your comment.