COLD LAKE - Cold Lake Energy Centre was buzzing with excitement as the Autumn Spooktacular kicked off its second annual event on Oct. 18.
The Halloween-themed celebration ran Friday evening and continued Oct.19 during the day. With a huge vendor market featuring an array of unique, spooky goods, tarot card readings, healers, and a "Dress to Impress" raffle, there was no shortage of fun for attendees.
The event also had a charitable side, as money raised from the 50/50 raffle was donated to the Lakeland Humane Society.
"This is just about celebrating Halloween, having an awesome time," said Alex Fitch, organizer of the Autumn Spooktacular. “We've got some really cool vendors, and we're raising a bit of money for the Humane Society.”
Fitch said the event brought vendors together in one place to share their “spooky treasures.”
For vendors like Linda Dumonceaux, owner of Squishable Sidekicks by Huggs'N'Snuggles, this event was a personal milestone.
"I started it with my daughter who had some anxiety and depression," Dumonceaux shared. "She picked up crocheting and told me she wanted to learn one day. So, we just started to learn."
Together, they used YouTube videos and books to master their craft, eventually creating a variety of plushies and "squishable sidekicks" to offer comfort to others.
Dumonceaux's booth was a testament to the creativity and love that goes into their craft.
"We do mostly animals, sea life, or birds," she explained. "My daughter started getting into a little bit more intricate ones . . . We have ones that we call backpack buddies so they're big enough to go on a kid's backpack."
Their newest additions are "anxiety frogs," which contain stress balls inside. "A lot of people seem to like the ones that are a bit bigger, that they can hold on to and help give them a feel of safety when they need it."
The sense of community support was palpable at the Autumn Spooktacular. Dumonceaux reflected on the joy of bringing smiles to attendees.
"We think it's nice that we can share with the community, and people that can't do it or they think it's too hard on something they wanted, they can get it at craft fairs like this."
Fitch noted the growing success of the Halloween-themed celebration.
"This is our second year," Fitch said. "Last year, a lot of people didn't really do a lot, but now we're finding there's a big demand for it year-round."
For Fitch, the event was also an opportunity to focus on Halloween.
"You know, Christmas always gets lots of attention, but there's lots of people who love Halloween," she said. "It's a chance to celebrate that. There's not as many things for Halloween, at least around here."
Fitch expressed her excitement about the success of this year’s event, stating, "We love the response we've gotten from the community, and we're super excited. We want everyone to have a good time."
