Celebration of Frights
Celebration of FrightsWhen Crystal Boulton's husband Patrick jokingly suggested two years ago that the COVID-19 pandemic might shut down her favourite celebration of the year — Halloween — Crystal not only didn't believe him, it caused her to think of a way to make Halloween bigger and better. Crystal got to work and singlehandedly created Celebration of Frights — a tour based mainly in Sarnia of homes that take Halloween decorating of their homes very seriously. "I'm not a Christmas person; I'm a Halloween person and I have been since I was a kid," Crystal proclaims. "When my husband joked about possibly missing Halloween, I said, 'You cannot cancel the spirit of Halloween! You may cancel the Halloween parties and you can cancel Trick or Treating, but people still want to celebrate the occasion.'" Armed with the knowledge that Sarnia had a successful Celebration of Lights tour, she began creating its Halloween counterpart - the Celebration of Frights.
Some of the homes on the tour are in Corunna, some in Petrolia, and a few in Bright's Grove, but for the most part, it's Sarnia. Citizens submit their homes for the tour, and Crystal gets to work building maps that she releases on the Facebook Page she's created. "The maps tell people where to go so they see all the decorated houses and group displays by neighbourhood. You can do part of the tour on different nights if you want to see the whole thing" Crystal says. 
The first year the response to the event was impressive - but overwhelming for the one-woman-show. "I probably wasn't prepared to have as many people involved as we got," Crystal recalls. "The second year I was more prepared, and it grew even more. This year people started talking about it in the summer and many people who weren't part of the tour the first two years have expressed interest in participating this year." In 2021, 90 houses participated, with more like 100 expected for 2022.
The tour, which takes part for the 11 days leading up to Halloween Night, draws various levels of interest from those who simply decorate their homes to others who make it spectator participation experience. Some houses are more child-friendly, and those get marked on the maps with a pumpkin. "Then there are other houses that I have marked as more scary or interactive. Those are the houses that are likely to have somebody jump out and scare you or they might have a path for visitors to follow to see the decorations and they may have somebody pop out to scare the people. Last year one house had a gargoyle that had wings and smoke came out of its mouth. I think it talked, too."
Crystal worked solo to get the first tour off the ground, but last year she asked others to help her manage the Facebook page. "I don't want anything inappropriate on the page," Crystal says, "So I got people to monitor the comments and I have to approve all of the posts." As part of the Celebration of Frights, Crystal asked people to donate canned goods, and they were able to donate 1,100 pounds of food to the local St. Vincent de Paul. "The Halloween spirit definitely kicked in and I think it will kick in this year, too."
Stay up to date on the latest from Celebration of Frights by visiting their Facebook Group.
Related Stories
The Shoebox
The Shoebox is Sarnia's only independent family shoe store. Valerie Young, who purchased the business in 2007, explains that, "People have come in and said the store is the hidden gem of the city." Bob Isard opened the store in 19...
Sarnia & District Humane Society
The Sarnia & District Humane Society began in 1953. "The organization got its start because a group of concerned citizens got together to discuss the stray dog population in Sarnia," says Executive Director, Donna Pyette. As a...
Chris Lindsay Counselling
Chris Lindsay loves counselling and therapy. "After 25 years, I still find it very interesting," shares Lindsay. "I'm fortunate to have a career that will keep me interested, even if I practice until I'm 95. Each person is so unique, and therapy itself is always evolving, so there is always more to
Forever Furniture
In 1987, Andrew Martens and John Hodgens started selling furniture and antiques under the name Antique and Oak at the Pinery Flea Market in Grand Bend and also out of John's garage in Exeter. In 1991, they built a furniture showroom on Andrew's dad's property. It wasn't long before the antiq
Related Stories
Greens Organic Café
Being a vegan is a lot easier these days, says Brynn Pearson, owner of Greens Organic Café and a vegan for the last eight years. I want people coming here to feel comfortable. We do get some people that say they aren't vegan and that's okay. We just encourage them to try it and see if they l
After a long and successful career in the golf industry, Paul Dumont decided to take things indoors in 2019. That's when the PGA Canada Class A golf professional opened Sticks and Stones Indoor Golf in Sarnia. I started in the golf industry in the Windsor area at Sutton Creek around 2000, Pa
Stonepicker Brewing Company Inc.
From bacon to beer. That pretty much sums up the career path Joe Donkers has taken. A pig farmer for nearly three decades, Joe did a 180 about five years ago when he made the decision to start brewing his own beer at home. That ultimately led to him and his wife Mary starting Stonepicker Brewing Co.
About Face & Body: Laser & Wellness Clinic
When Carolyn Vandersluis purchased About Face and Body: Laser & Wellness Clinic, she knew that the business’s strong community support came from the education, experience and care of her staff. “We take pride in taking care of our...
