Bradford’s bravest residents are invited to test their mettle and get into the spine-chilling spirit of the spooky season.
The town’s recreation staff welcome those seeking a thrill ahead of Halloween to traverse the haunted house at the BWG Youth Recreation Centre, 226 Colborne St., from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday for just $2 (cash only).
Open to everyone, the event launched Tuesday and features six frightfully themed rooms, with actors, animatronics, flashing lights, sounds and music for guests to navigate if they dare. The linear experience is expected to take 10 to 15 minutes and arrows and staff help guide people if they need.
Each night is separated into two time slots, with the scariest between 6:15 to 8 p.m. and a more kid-friendly version running from 4 to 5:45 p.m. in which the animatronics will be unplugged and kids will have the opportunity to use flashlights to look for Halloween-themed characters as part of a scavenger hunt, after which they’ll be given candy and glow sticks.
“We’ve put a lot of thought into it, so it’s going to be great,” youth programmer Nick Ferrara said while getting ready for Tuesday’s opening. “Our intention is that it will continue to build night after night and the experience could get even better.”
Neither the staff nor youth are strangers to scary settings, as Ferrara explained the town organizes a trip for the youth group to the Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland every year, including this Saturday.
“We have a lot of participants that are very much passionate about Halloween,” he said.
While Ferrara took the lead on the local haunted house, he emphasized it’s been a team effort, with several of the staff involved referring to themselves as the “Boo Crew” who are “very grateful” for volunteers who are helping make the haunted house a reality.
He didn’t want to give away too much, but Ferrara said the team has done some “creative things” to temporarily convert the centre, which Bianca Mendes, recreation supervisor, described as “transformed.”
“The staff have put in hard work to make this come to life and we’re really proud of it,” she said. “Hopefully everyone gets a really great experience.”
Beyond celebrating Halloween with a few good scares, Ferrara said one of the team’s biggest goals is to help people in town become more familiar with and excited about the new youth centre and the events they hope to hold in future.
One of those is just around the corner with a Halloween party for youth in grades 7 to 12 this Friday, Oct. 25 from 4 to 8 p.m., for which the usual $1 drop-in fee applies for those youth who don’t have the annual membership.
The party is set to include Halloween-themed films, karaoke games and activities while also benefiting from much of the decor used to create the haunted house.
More information about the BWG Youth Recreation Centre is available at townofbwg.com/youth.
