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For Immediate Distribution

Monster Month scares up family-friendly fun in Elora and Fergus

Dozens of Halloween-themed activities throughout October

ELORA, Ont. (October 4, 2021) – The communities of Elora and Fergus are making sure the pandemic doesn’t put a damper on anyone’s Halloween spirit this fall.

The scenic neighbouring villages about an hour outside the Greater Toronto Area have organized a packed line-up of family-oriented activities and events as part of Monster Month throughout October to help visitors get out and enjoy the spooky season safely.

“People are being incredibly creative and coming up with activities that people can enjoy even with pandemic public health rules in place and still have a lot of fun and a few scary thrills at the same time,” says Deb Dalziel of Elora & Fergus Tourism.

Among dozens of activities scheduled during the month-long celebration, a self-guided tour leads visitors through Elora’s historic downtown and showcases a hauntingly beautiful collection of illuminated sculptures created by artist Tim Murton called The Twilight Zoo — ghosts, skeletons and other ghoulish creatures – that have decorated the village’s streets each October for nearly 20 years. Volunteers gave many of the monsters makeovers over the past few weeks to get them ready for visitors.

On weekends throughout October most of Elora’s main streets downtown are closed to vehicular traffic, making it easy for pedestrians to walk through the village and get up close and personal with the resident monsters. A digital map marking the tour route – including a QR code version – is available at monstermonth.ca.

For the first time, some of the monsters will feature QR codes which will allow visitors to access additional information about the creations and the area, featuring local actors.

“It creates another great way to share more about the village,” Dalziel says. “When you scan the code, it will take you to a creepy story or it might give you some ideas for visiting elsewhere in the village or another attraction nearby.”

Other highlights of Monster Month include:

• Spooky Stables at The GrandWay. Explore the first ever Spooky Stables at Grand River Raceway in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre Wellington. A family friendly walk takes place Saturday, Oct. 16 from 4-6 p.m. As the sun goes down, the scare metre gets dialed up for those who dare to join a more hair-raising experience from 6-8 p.m.
• Spooktacular Market. Scare up some great deals while exploring arts, crafts and other goodies made by local vendors at the Spooktacular Market at the Elora Centre for the Arts on Saturday, Oct. 23 and Sunday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Presented by Celestho Crafters Collective.
• Zombie Walk. On Friday, Oct. 29 and Saturday, Oct. 30 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. wandering zombie tourists will take over downtown Elora for photos and selfies with visitors and a Halloween Flash Mob as a finale in the village’s greenspace to close off the night
• Ghost walks in Fergus, Corn Maze at Fieldstone Barn, Walk & Gawk Challenge & Tour featuring home-made scarecrow creations, cemetery tours with the Wellington County Museum, and more. A full schedule of events and activities that will take place during Monster Month can be found here.

About Sensational Elora

Sensational Elora – Festival of the Senses is a not-for-profit, fund-raising, volunteer organization that presents events throughout the year. Festival events strive to feature the renowned music, art, drama, film, food, scenery and architecture of historic Elora, culminating in core festival events running throughout October, including Monster Month, The Monster March parade and, during Thanksgiving weekend, the Empty Bowls project, Pumpkin Day, and the Sensational Soup-off, raises money and awareness for the fight against poverty and hunger in Centre Wellington. More information is available at www.sensationalelora.com.

Unfortunately, we have been forced to make the sad decision to cancel the Monster March this year, 2021. In the meantime, enjoy this reel highlight from our 2018 march, and start planning for 2022!

There is still loads to do around town!