Halloween celebrations hosted by two BIAs on Saturday bring out casts of characters

Costumes and candy were in full force at both ends of Greater Fort Erie on Saturday as two well-attended events each drew large crowds of people out to celebrate.

The Bridgeburg BIA held its annual “truck or treat” party on Jarvis Street and the Crystal Beach BIA hosted its spooky-season soirée for the fifth year in a row.

Jarvis Street was a construction zone of sorts, but there was no work taking place.

Peters Construction Group brought a large collection of its fleet for families to take photos in and around, much like they did for last year’s event.

“We like to give back to Fort Erie and it’s great for the kids,” said Darren Peters, owner of the local construction company, which has haulage, concrete, excavating and PowerCon divisions.

“We brought a couple pieces of equipment from each division,” he told Fort Erie Radio, noting it adds up to about 12 pieces of machinery, including lift and boom trucks, a digger, crane, loader, grader, and excavator.

“That’s why we do it,” said Peters, adding that the expressions of excitement on young faces made the hard work of getting everything parked on Jarvis Street well worth it.

“It’s for the kids,” he said.

Peters Construction Group was also a driving force behind last year’s Santa Claus Parade, which involved floats that had Santa and his reindeer suspended mid-air, lighting up the night sky.

He didn’t reveal what’s in store for this year’s parade in a few weeks, but said “it’s going to be as big of a hit as last year.”

Korinne Antaya, owner of The Fox Shop, said “the turnout was great even before we started,” as people were eager to take part.

Most storefronts in the district were involved in some way.

“We’re really happy to see everybody with their doors open,” said the Bridgeburg BIA member.

In Crystal Beach, Erie and Derby roads were swarming with trick-or-treaters at about 4 p.m.

It appeared that thousands of people were out, sporting unique Halloween get-ups and collecting candy from businesses in the area.

“We couldn’t do it without the volunteers,” said Kirk Fretz, chair of the Crystal Beach BIA.

He was also joined by Councillor Tom Lewis, the BIA’s local government representative, who shared the same thoughts as Fretz, naming a number of specific individuals, such as Robin Bannerman and Scott Schumacher from Crystal Ball Cafe who played an integral role in organizing the event.

“Their enthusiasm and assistance has been so helpful,” said Lewis.

Earlier this month, the same area as Saturday’s event was taken over by ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, a hit TV show that has taken home several Emmys between its first and fifth seasons.

A number of scenes were shot for season six near Erie and Derby roads, as well as within the gates of the Crystal Beach Tennis and Yacht Club.

Days after the cast and crew packed up and left the location, residents of the gated community started kicking around ideas for a group costume, and naturally an ensemble of characters from the show was one that came to mind right away.

It was just a couple of people but “one thing led to another,” and all of a sudden there were 13 “handmaids” who would be dressed in maroon robes and white bonnets, as well as a “guardian” and a “commander,” said Yvonne Lines, one of the people behind assembling the cast.

Jean Marchand, dressed as “Commander Lawrence,” a character played by Bradley Whitford, said there were four days of shooting in their neighbourhood.

Lines said the community was amazed by the attention to detail and how elaborate of a production it was.

“The whole process was a lot more than I expected,” she said.

“The number of people that were here–there were hundreds,” she added.

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