NEWS RELEASE
SENSATIONAL ELORA
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ELORA – The picturesque village of Elora has so much Halloween spirit that it can’t contain it to just a single day at the end of October. Instead, Elora declares October, Monster Month and scares up 31 days of activities and events that celebrate all that’s fun and frightening about Halloween.
Already renowned for its stunning natural setting on a gorge overlooking the Grand River and its quaint heritage buildings, Elora has a growing reputation for attracting crowds from across Ontario who want to stretch out their Halloween-themed entertainment.
“It’s a lot of fun. The whole community really gets in the spirit of Monster Month,” says Kirk McElwain of Sensational Elora, a non-profit fundraising organization that co-ordinates the month-long roster of events. “We’ve got dozens of great activities that families can participate in and enjoy together.”
Elora has been bewitched by Halloween for nearly two decades. Artist Tim Murton created a hauntingly beautiful collection of illuminated sculptures called The Twilight Zoo — ghosts, skeletons and other ghoulish creatures – that have decorated the village’s streets each October for nearly 20 years.
Visitors began travelling to Elora from across Southern Ontario to see the display and, as popularity grew, other organizations started adding themed events, growing into what is now known as Monster Month.
The signature event of the month is the Monster March, a non-motorized parade along Elora’s main street, featuring hundreds of children and adults dressed in extravagant costumes and hundreds of spectators watching the action.
This year’s Monster March, from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, will begin with a pair of climbers dressed as superheroes from One Axe Pursuits rappelling down a 20-metre bell tower of a former church, where they will join up with a headless horseman and lead the parade.
“We’re really excited to be part of Monster Month and to kick off the parade in a really unique way that we know will provide the participants and the crowd a great show,” says Christa Niravong of One Axe Pursuits, which operates rock climbing, caving and zipline programs for recreation, corporate team building and for the film industry.
The Monster March is a free event, but spectators are asked to bring non-perishable food items or monetary donations which Sensational Elora collects to support the Centre Wellington Food Bank.
Other highlights of Monster Month include ghost walks, workshops on building monsters, pumpkin carving demonstrations, historical lantern tours and many other events. For a full schedule of events and activities that will take place during Monster Month, click here.
About Sensational Elora
Sensational Elora - Festival of the Senses is a not-for-profit, fund-raising, volunteer organization that presents events throughout the year. The festival events strive to feature the renowned music, art, drama, film, food, scenery and architecture of historic Elora, culminating in core festival events running throughout October, including Monster Month, The Monster March parade and, during Thanksgiving weekend, the Empty Bowls project, Pumpkin Day, and the Sensational Soup-off, raises money and awareness for the fight against poverty and hunger in Centre Wellington. More information is available here.
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