Successful turnout for City of Westmount's first Halloween 'haunted house'

While such goings-on are strictly out of place during the lawn bowling season, most who visited the clubhouse last Wednesday night seemed to agree that the first 'haunted house' staged by volunteers and City staff was a resounding success.

By one estimate, a total of 1,000 people passed through the house.

Lawn bowlers wouldn't have recognized the interior of their club. It had been transformed into an elaborate fun house, with darkened rooms and hallways, flashing strobes, coffins, horrific apparitions, monsters, and large spiders dangling from above.

Those who dared make their way through were confronted at virtually every turn by ghouls, a fiendishly bewigged 18th century hanging judge, a monster rising from a coffin, and a masked fortune-telling lady with an endless repartee of witty one-liners.

By far, the most nightmarish scene of all was kept for last. Just before the exit, in a back room, a young nurse, with waxen features, stood clad in a white uniform before an operating table. As her eyes peered coldly from behind a facial mask, she performed surgery on a cadaverous being.

Deftly removing sausage links and other simulated guts from a gaping wound in the middle of his chest, what made it all the more odd was that the room smelled like a butcher shop. The City of Westmount's community events department and the Public Security department collaborated on the design and creation of the haunted house.

Some of the monsters were played by students from the drama department at Dawson College, as well as members of the Pathfinders. Grade six pupils at Roslyn School painted pumpkins, and Westmount High School students helped to decorate.

Outside the clubhouse, the lineup was long, but everyone agreed it was worth the wait.

"This is one of the biggest holidays of the year for the kids," said Michael Quinn, a Vendôme Avenue resident who was waiting in line with his daughter, Madison. She dressed as a 1980s dancer. Quinn, who was also into the spirit, dressed as an Irishman.

He was very convincing. "Do you have a pint of beer for me?" he said, feigning a brogue.

Dr. Mark Roper, a Westmount physician, brought his four children, William, David, Mary, and Susan. Two of their young friends, Zachary and Abigail, also went along.

Virginia Elliott, assistant coordinator of community events for the City of Westmount, said some of the smaller children who arrived earlier in the evening were more easily frightened, even though older kids who came later relished the fright. "I just got deafened by a little kid," she said, noting that the children's screams were far more terrifying.

Richard Blondin, director of Public Security for Westmount, said the idea for the haunted house had been proposed by parking inspector Pierre Thibault. He was assisted by Sgt. Greg McBain and Sgt. Denis Proulx.

Mike Deegan, director of the Sports and Recreation Department, also lent a hand, as did some members of city council, including councillors Nicole Forbes and Cynthia Lulham.

House Decorating Contest winners

Westmount's annual home decorating contest was also a success again this year, with many local families pulling out all the stops in transforming their properties into everything from menacing mansions to ghostly graveyards. As in previous years, a team of judges toured the neighbourhoods during Halloween night, and this year's list of winning entries features some familiar names:

North of Sherbrooke Street, first prize of a catered dinner for six by Simply Wonderful went to the Zipkin family at 58 Forden Cres.; second prize of dinner for four at Java U went to the Cohen family at 631 Murray Hill Ave.; and third prize of a specially designed Halloween gift basket from La Foumagerie went to the Halickman family at 596 Belmont Ave.

The same prizes were award to entries south of Sherbrooke Street, where first prize went to the Norris family at 310 Roslyn Ave.; second prize to Mark Camacho at 102 Columbia Ave.; and third prize to Beverley LeBlanc and Greg Macgregor at 110 Columbia Ave.