The fourth annual Camp Chestermere Halloween Howler gave families and opportunity to spend a day together and connect on Oct. 28.
“We wanted to run a community-based event, where we could welcome in people from the city of Calgary and also the city of Chestermere, and just have a fun family themed event throughout the day,” said Lead Organizer of the Camp Chestermere Halloween Howler Collin Daws.
Throughout the afternoon Halloween enthusiasts were able to participate in a wide range of Halloween themed activities, such as pumpkin punishment where youth could use pumpkins as target practice for archery or destroy a pumpkin at the pumpkin smash station.
Youth were also encouraged to participate in broomstick battles, play Quidditch, walk through a glow maze, carve a pumpkin, or play mini games and make crafts at the Synergy Kids Zone.
After an afternoon of play, families could also sit by a fire pit and indulge in hot chocolate and smores.
“Today has been great. There’s been a lot of people come through the door.
“For us it’s not about how many people show up, it’s that the people who come have a good time,” Daws said.
He added, “All of our pumpkin themed activities have gone really well, and the glow maze is always a huge attraction.”
The best part about the city of Chestermere is that organizations get to collaborate, and all run Halloween events leading up to Halloween, Daws said.
“It’s just another opportunity for families to connect,” he said.
“We just want to continue to grow and be bigger and better, in future years we’ll look to partner with different organizations to try and see what activities they can bring to the camp,” Daws said.
He added, the Camp Chestermere Halloween Howler received a lot of community support. From volunteers, to businesses such as No Frills donating some pumpkins, Homes by Hayley providing popcorn, Synergy having the Kids Zone, and the Calgary Quidditch Club teaching youth how to play Quidditch.
The only challenge Daws had faced throughout the day was ensuring there was enough pumpkins for each activity station.
For Daws, the best part of the Camp Chestermere Halloween Howler is receiving feedback from families who attended the event.
“A couple years ago a grandfather came up and talked with our director and said thank you so much for running this event, this is finally an opportunity where I can just spend the day with my grandson,” Daws said.
He added, “That’s just want we want to do, we want to allow people to connect with families.”
To keep updated with upcoming events at Camp Chestermere please visit the website at https://www.campchestermere.com/.
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