Hay River honours Halloween icon with spooky parade
Star Wars characters, Captains Morgan, Sesame Street muppets and hundreds of others showed up for a Halloween parade held in honour of longtime town resident Linda Carter Halloween evening, Oct. 31.
Kristen Slade, an owl, with Mylo Slade, a lion, five months old,, Rygel Slade, two, dinosaur, and Sarah Slade, a black cat, get ready for the Halloween parade at Homesteaders Inn, Oct. 31. Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo
Star Wars characters, Captains Morgan, Sesame Street muppets and hundreds of others showed up for a Halloween parade held in honour of longtime town resident Linda Carter Halloween evening, Oct. 31.
Erika Walton, organizer of the event, was emotional Sunday after receiving a strong response for the parade. An estimated 300 plus residents made the walk from the Homesteader’s Inn along Miron Drive to Ms. Carter’s home, where she waited with her loved ones at the end of her driveway.
A longtime resident and contributor to the community, Carter was remembered for her years of providing a haunted house at her trailer home on Halloween for visitors.
“I’m speechless. This is really overwhelming for me because Linda has been on my mind for months,” Walton said. “She has been sick and with Halloween approaching she has been on my mind even more than usual because she is the icon of Halloween for Hay River.”
Walton said she wanted to hold a special event for Linda for more than two months because of her contributions to the town but it wasn’t until Oct. 26 when she pitched the idea of a parade to the family.
“I really felt that we needed to reach out and say thank you,” Walton said. “I left it at that and on Wednesday afternoon I got a text back and they said that they were overwhelmed and thrilled with the idea and to go ahead.”
Logan Price (big baby), Jaxin Thompson (skeleton), Krista Gardiner (Mario)and Xander Thompson (skeleton) take part in one of the few floats that went through the parade. Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photoA group of fairies floated through the Halloween parade. From left are Payton Walters with her dog Monty, who is dressed as a turtle, Jadeane Brown, Teegan Brockway, Marie Buggins, and Tyler Brockway. All adorned wings at their backs and enjoyed a stroll together along Miron Drive. Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photoLyne Coderre,a T.C. skeleton, Deacon Tybring, a Mandolorian, and Lorraine McDonald, a T.C. goblin ready for the Halloween parade, Oct. 31. Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photoKelsey Townend watches her son Hayes Townend, two, who was dressed as a baby yoga during the parade. Simion Whitehouse/NNSL photoAt back are Bill Foster, Sharlyn Carter, Kelly Thompson, Jason Carter, Linda and Garry Carter, and Dylan, Shawn and Melanie Carter. At front are Erika Walton & Kevin Buckley. All were standing at the home of Linda Carter who has set up an iconic haunted house at her trailer home and surrounding property to the delight of generations of families and children for more than 40 years. Simon Whitheouse/NNSL photo
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