A Goulie Night at Snowy Station One

Station One was ready for both the snow and the crowds on Halloween Night.

Tyler Hexember Zombies it up. 

Canadore's Dental Hygiene Students handed out toothpaste and candy 

The weather didn't slow down too many little ones from visiting Station One for its annual Halloween Display. Photos by Dennis Chippa.

Tyler Hexemer loves Halloween.

What the Widdifield Secondary School student enjoyed  this year, was the chance to put on a wedding dress and act as a zombie for the haunted house at the annual Fire Station One Halloween night.

After four hours of screaming and scaring, a raspy-voiced Tyler was still happy.

“It was fun, just trying to scare the crap out of people. I enjoyed it a lot. I like doing it. It's fun.

It was Tyler’s first try in the haunted house, but it was far from the first go-around for Widdifield, or the volunteers who built sets, prepared and handed out candy and healthy snacks, (including toothpaste, donated by Canadore’s dental hygiene students)  assisted with coffee or juice, or just herded hundreds of young and old children through Fire Station one.

The weather may have been the scariest thing about the event, with constant snow, and a driving wind.  The always optimistic Chris Cuthbertson, who organizes the event for the North Bay Fire Department, says the terrible weather was a positive of sorts.

“The snow was actually to our advantage. It held off the lineups, the flow of traffic the whole night it was fantastic that way. People could come in, warm up go nice and fast and get out again. It worked out really, really well for us actually”

Children could get treats on one side, and tricked on the other through the zombie themed haunted house. There were safe words for the little ones, but anyone venturing in was treated to visions of a zombie town, businesses and all.

Andrea Marcotte, from Widdifield’s Art Department, loved the theme, and credits the students for the idea.

“The students were really organized and had a really good plan so it was smooth. Everybody seemed really excited and went through multiple times’

The best part of the event for Widdifield was the chance for students and staff, who spent weeks preparing, to use some of the material they already had on hand.

“‘it was great about the zombie theme because zombies are from all walks of life . But they’re just dead so it just worked out nicely. “

Cuthbertson says the event was likely hampered by both a Halloween Friday and the bad weather.

However, he was far from disappointed.  

“But overall the numbers were solid, a lot of people out a lot of happy kids a lot of smiles at the end of the night, that’s what counts the most”

Which always makes for a truly happy Halloween.