Scaretacular St. Marys filled with lots of trick-or-treaters, including out-of-towners

Angela Reid (left, as Luigi) with Jeff Hiscock, Scottie Hiscock, Leni Hiscock, Taegan Hiscock and Navy Hiscock during Scaretacular St. Marys.

By Emily Stewart

The streets of downtown St. Marys were flooded with trick-or-treaters dressed in their costume, just six days before Halloween.

Scaretacular St. Marys took over the town’s core on Oct. 25, with participating local businesses handing out treats to eager trick-or-treaters. The Howl-O-Ween Pet Parade and Costume Contest, sponsored by the local Pet Valu and Kristine Tanner: Real Estate Broker, followed the trick-or-treating. The St. Marys Museum also held cemetery walking tours.

“It’s going excellent,” said Megan Feeney, chair of the Downtown St. Marys BIA ahead of the Pet Parade. “I was so encouraged to hear people from neighbouring communities like Woodstock and London have actually come to St. Marys to take part in this event. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

During the event, participating businesses told Feeney they ran out of treats and had to rush out to stock up on more candy.

“I’m really glad that a lot of them are getting exposed because we have so many great businesses here and so much to offer,” she said.

In addition to tourism, the St. Marys Scaretacular was a way to give back to the community.

“We have so much support for all the retailers that it’s nice for them to say thank you as well,” Feeney said. “There is a lot of tourism, a lot of charm and a lot of things that we often overlook even when we’re residents, so it’s nice to really put a focus on what we have to offer right here at home as well.”