Organizers of the Boo at the Creek Halloween festival are hoping to reignite the spooky spirit in Airdrie this year, after the popular community event was cancelled last year due to COVID-related restrictions.
Paige Cairns, the committee chair of the annual Halloween celebration that also raises donations for the Airdrie Food Bank, said Boo at the Creek will be returning this month in a modified format. She said in addition to two spin-off components, there will be 360 sign-up slots that families can fill to limit attendance at Nose Creek Regional Park on Oct. 30.
First held in 2015, Boo at the Creek is a Halloween-themed festival that takes place in Nose Creek Regional Park on the Saturday before Oct. 31. Catered mostly to young families and kids, Cairns said the festivities provide Airdrie’s youngest ghouls and goblins an early opportunity to don their Halloween costumes in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.
“To be able to come out, wear their costume, be outside and play games for an afternoon is appealing to families and to kids,” she said.
Cairns said she came up with the idea for Boo at the Creek shortly after moving to Airdrie in 2014. She said she noticed a lack of local community events that celebrated Halloween and wanted to create something that would give kids an excuse to wear their costumes more than just when they are trick-or-treating on Oct. 31.
“I had the idea, thinking maybe we could do something during the day that would re-ignite the spirit of Halloween, create a safe space for families and kids to come, and something that people could access no matter their socio-economic status,” she said, adding the event has always been free to attend, as long as attendees bring a donation to the Airdrie Food Bank.
Now a Halloween tradition in Airdrie, previous iterations of Boo at the Creek included themed games, crafts, performances from magicians, face-painting stations, free candy, a DJ, and more, according to Cairns. In 2019, upwards of 2,000 people attended.
But last year, public health restrictions meant Boo at the Creek could not be held in its traditional format. In order to continue to support the food bank, Cairns said the organizing committee decided instead to run a silent auction on its Boo at the Creek website in 2020, as well as offer families a photo booth opportunity for a professionally taken portrait, courtesy of Olivia Lou Photography.
Those two spin-off events will be offered this year again, Cairns added, though the photo booth time slots are already full. The silent auction will take place from Oct. 26 to 28 on the Boo at the Creek Facebook page.
Since its inaugural celebration, Cairns said Boo at the Creek has raised nearly $30,000 for the Airdrie Food Bank. Ironically, she said last year’s iteration set a new record for the event, raising more than $7,000.
Cairns said with COVID-19 impacting youth opportunities throughout the pandemic, she said the organizing committee agreed it was important to try and offer Boo at the Creek in some format this year.
“It was actually our committee members' kids who really had the impact on us,” she said. “When we heard about the new restrictions, we had a meeting and decided we were going to cancel the event again. It was three of our kids who had such a strong reaction. They actually had tears in their eyes, saying, 'There's no Boo at the Creek again this year?'
“So, we put our hats back on, brainstormed to see if there was a way we could do it safely, and this is what we came up with. We think we'll be able to still put on a really great event for families in Airdrie and ensure it's following the restrictions at the same time.”
For information on how to sign up for the time slots, Cairns is encouraging interested families to follow the Boo at the Creek Facebook page.
Given the popularity of previous Boo at the Creek festivals, Cairns encourages Airdrie families to sign up for the time slots as soon as they can, adding the time slots will likely be claimed very soon.
“If you're looking for a free, fun activity to bring your family out to in support of a really good cause, the Airdrie Food Bank, to sign up immediately because slots will not be available for very long,” she said.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
