THUNDER BAY -- Halloween came a little early this year and the children at KOA Campground couldn’t be more thrilled.
Ten-year-old Riley Smith and 12-year-old Hailey Beswetherick joined dozens of children at the campground Saturday afternoon as they began decorating trick-or-treat bags in preparation for the evening’s festivities.
“We are colouring pillow cases that we can use to go trick-or-treating and put the candy in,” Riley said.
“(The pillow case) says Thunder Bay KOA, but there are a couple of different designs. I chose the one with the most stuff.”
For those who didn’t feel like decorating their pillow cases, there was a pair of Zorb Balls and a course set up for some afternoon fun.
“We already went a couple of times,” Riley said. “It’s fun because we went together and we kept falling over.”
The children aren’t the only ones excited for an early Halloween celebration.
Ray Landgraff, known as Mr. Halloween, has been putting together the Haunted Yard, a fundraiser for KOA’s Care Camps.
Landgraff started the Haunted Yard with only 15 pieces in a single lot, but after multiple expansions, he now has a field filled with his spooky decorations.
Riley said since she can remember Mr. Halloween has always had a big field with spooky decorations.
“There’s this girl and she’s called a peek-a-boo girl and she jumps out at you and that’s my favourite one,” Riley said.
Hailey was quick to agree.
The two youngsters wern't the only two children to find interest in the Haunted Yard.
Eleven-year-old Jamie-Lee Nicholls said she dressed up Friday night and hid next to some decorations.
“I was in my costume and I was pretending to be a statue with a couple of my friends and I scared two people pretty bad,” Nicholls said.
Nicholls loves to dress up and plans to dress up in a black party suit and a white bowtie as an invisible man for trick-or-treating.
Saturday’s events include a barbecue, costume hay ride and trick-or-treating.
