Let’s go to the movies with the Skeletons of Vivian Line

Bone voyage! The Skeletons of Vivian Line are getting ready for their 13th season, which will have a movie theme.

By: Emily Stewart

The Skeletons of Vivian Line will have an array of fan favourite and classic movies on display during their 13th season.

The skeletons will be back to their antics starting Oct. 19 for 13 days with the theme “Come to the Movies with the Skeletons.” There will be a drive-in theatre set up at 3217 Vivian Line and there will be a different movie display each evening. Fans submitted beloved movies as suggestions for the displays.

"We’re still taking requests for movies but we have a really good selection of movies right now and it's going to be a lot of fun,” said founder Melissa McKerlie.

However, McKerlie said to not expect horror movies from this year’s display.

"Even though it's the 13th season and it's the 13 days of fun, I guarantee we will not be doing Friday the 13th or anything like that,” she said. “The whole point of the skeletons is to make people smile and to create smiles through people donating to Operation Smile Canada, so we'll have movies that will appeal to everybody.”

Skeletons of Vivian Line began as a way to bring smiles to McKerlie’s son Justin, a Halloween enthusiast, and with updates on the skeletons’ shenanigans to family and friends via email. After putting the skeletons on the front yard, visitors were driving by to see them and the Skeletons of Vivian Line became a hit with the locals with media coverage from CBC and the Stratford Beacon Herald and eventually worldwide phenomenon with 6.5 thousand followers on Facebook.

Recently, the Skeletons of Vivian Line got to be part of the 185th Stratford Fall Fair with a 120-foot-long indoor display. The Skeletons of Vivian Line’s Facebook post shared photos of the skeletons participating in fair activities after hours like riding the rides and consuming butter tarts.

"The skeletons loved it because they were not out in any weather. They didn't have to be staked into the ground. We didn't have to worry about high winds, rain, snow, all the elements,” McKerlie said.

The Skeletons of Vivian Line raises money each year for Operation Smile Canada, per Justin’s suggestion, through in-person donations at the site. This year, McKerlie hopes to raise $40,000 for Operation Smile.

"The whole point of the skeletons is to make people smile, that we always want people to come enjoy the skeletons. It'll be a fun adventure for them to come and see them. You never know what they're up to,” she said. “It's wonderful because as a result, we're literally creating smiles for little kids and adults who don't have the ability to smile because they were born with cleft lip and palate."

There are two local sponsors who will dollar match donations up $40,000 each.

"Every dollar that we can raise in front of the house will be tripled and that is just absolutely phenomenal,” said McKerlie.

Trick-or-treaters of all ages can visit the Skeletons of Vivian Line on Oct. 24 and 25. The Skeletons of Vivian Line will also be participating in the Strickland Automotive and Downtown Stratford BIA Trick-Or-Treating events on Oct. 31.

You can see what the Skeletons of Vivian Line are up to on Facebook via www.facebook.com/SkeletonsOfVivianLine.