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Historic Barkerville and its Halloween haunts

Barkerville pulled all the spooks for their annual haunted halloween events
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Barkerville’s graveyard is the spookiest place of all come Halloween. Nicole Field photo

Is that a ghost hovering above the door of St. Saviour’s Church? In the historic town of Barkerville on Halloween night, probably.

Spending All Hallows Eve in such an old place, where old lives long-past and their stories fill the walls with rich history, is probably the best place to get spooked.

Despite the snow and cold, the folks of Barkerville opened up the gates for a chilling night this past Tuesday. People of all ages showed up to enjoy the events, and were admitted by donation only.

The night started out in the warmth of the town entrance, where visitors could enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or a bowl of soup before heading out into the darkness.

Just outside the entrance to the town, a bonfire provided a bit of heat. Painted faces and pointed horns gathered round, roasting marshmallows while seeking refuge in the bit of light the flames offered.

A few steps away, inside the Pavilion, narrow pathways and a lowered cover gave little room for escape through the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Tunnel of Terror. All the best characters from Wonderland hunched eerily around every corner. The mouse rocked on its haunches, singing in hushed tones about treacle, while up ahead the Queen of Hearts gripped Alice, shouting mad threats about removing her head.

You had to move fast, someone or something, wasn’t shy about snatching ankles.

After scrambling through the haunted maze, you were on your own in the barely-lit, ghostly quiet of the streets.

It’s a very different experience, touring the empty town with nothing more than your own small group of terrified company, arms linked and inching ever-so-slowly forward.

Often, strange sounds would echo from the buildings: a knocking, a rattling and a screeching, swinging gate would startle passers-by. It wasn’t the sounds so much as the tricks your eyes would play on you as you attempted to focus on shadows in the windows and underneath the boardwalks.

If you could muster the concentration, ghosts were placed throughout the town, offering up a scavenger hunt with prizes presented once returning to the entrance.

The town was also open for the two full days on the weekend prior to Halloween. On Oct. 28 and 29, the gates were open to visitors from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m with an admission of $5 per person. It was two days of pumpkin carving, face painting, snacks at the Barkerville Cafe and Mason & Daly General Merchants and all the other spooks that are definitely worth visiting next year.