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Are you all ready for the spookiest night of the year? Is your Halloween game plan in place? This is serious business! Especially this year. I'm planning on giving out treats but will be doing so masked up and using our long barbecue tongs to create social distance. I also have a box of latex gloves that I can change between treaters. How about you, are you giving out treats this year? Let me know!
Having Halloween on a Saturday definitely makes things easier, there's no need to try to rush home from work early to get dinner on the table and kids in costume before heading out trick-or-treating. Treat your fam to some scary spider dogs, go all in with the Halloween vibe and serve up a black and orange spooky pasta bake, put on a scary movie or test your bravery on a haunted tour. This week's newsletter is chockablock full of Halloween fun.
I hope you enjoy!
Jill, SaltWire Audience Team
Weekend weather
Bone-chilling weather under a full moon — get Cindy's Halloween forecast here.
Halloween traditions
Although in the middle ages, it was a commonly held belief that witches would turn themselves into black cats, dark-haired felines weren't always considered unlucky. English and Irish sailors believed having a black cat aboard their ships would ensure a safe journey. Learn about the history of our Halloween traditions with Jill Ellsworth.
Calling all werewolves
Why couldn't the astronaut book a room on the moon? It was full!
Although all of the little ghosts, goblins, witches, and zombies out on Halloween night will be focused on collecting as many treats as possible, there is one "treat" which, if the weather co-operates, will add to the overall spookiness of All Hallows Eve — a rare full blue moon.
On-theme snack for your little goblins
Perfect for a Halloween lunch, quick dinner option or a spooky movie night snack, turn ordinary hot dogs and puff pastry into creepy treats with Erin Sulley's scary spider dogs.
Spooky pasta bake
Did you know Halloween's typical colours, orange and black, have meaning behind them? Orange represents the harvest, while black represents shorter days. Both colours are incorporated into Chef Ilona Daniel's spooky pumpkin pasta bake. Black pasta and orange pumpkin sauce combine to make a great option for a Halloween-themed supper.
Frightful films
If you've blown through all your favourite Halloween films and are looking for more of a fright, check out Colin Chisholm's latest edition of Streaming Wars which features an all-star lineup of the best movies and shows to give you the chills.
Local reads
In The Lowlands Gulp, a new short story written by Anthony Brenton, the residents of the small Newfoundland and Labrador coastal town of Gulp, are driven to a frenzy when members of the community start disappearing, only for their body parts to wash up onto the shore.
Ghoulish walks and tales
With so much history, our region is bound to be haunted by tormented souls, poltergeists and other paranormal activity. If you're brave enough, venture out on one of these haunted walks to hear tales of apparitions, haunting history and more:
Annapolis Valley, N.S. | Valley Ghost Walks
Choose your bubble mates and book your tour. Tours start at 45 minutes with Jerome the Gravekeeper and one ghost. You can upgrade from there with each package adding more ghosts to your tour. Check it out here.
Sydney, N.S. | Wicked Walk
When you walk around the grounds and building of St. Patrick’s Museum, you can be forgiven if you feel like you’re walking across someone’s grave. Because you probably are. Tours must be booked in advance at 902-539-1572. Get the scoop here.
Halifax, N.S. | Dare to be Scared
The Halifax Citadel gate swings open to reveal a tour guide in full period uniform standing on the drawbridge holding a glowing lantern aloft in the deepening twilight. Go on a nocturnal journey into the haunted history of Halifax Citadel that recounts many a ghost story and tales of the unexplained, all recounted in chilling detail. Book your spot here.
St. John's, N.L. | Ghosts of Bell Island
During the haunted tour, you will meet ghosts, angry spirits and the hideous Ghost of Dobbin’s Garden, the vengeful and beautiful White Woman and the seductive Queen of the Fairies. Full details here.
St. John's, N.L. | Virtual Haunted Campfires
You won't have to leave the house for these haunting tales, this is a virtual paranormal adventure with a variety of events lined up. Tune in tonight for "Canada from Ghost to Ghost", or on Saturday for their Terrible Tales for Creepy Kids, or their Midnight Ghost Stories on Halloween night. Here's the full lineup.
Charlottetown, P.E.I. | Ghost Tour
Join the Gravedigger as he leads you through a family-friendly, spooky ghost tour of Historic Charlottetown. Expect stories of unsolved murders, ghostly hauntings, and executions, and learn of the superstitious beliefs of Islanders past. Get your tickets here.
Charlottetown, P.E.I. | Secrets of Charlottetown
Hear the haunted history of Charlottetown! This hour-long tour consists of multiple stops and stories in the downtown historic center. Hear about a haunted painting, a mixed-up execution ... even a ghostly soldier! Here's how to join the fun.