More than 200 women in costume gathered for the Witches Night Out event on Friday, October 16, 2026.
The sixth annual women-only Witches Night Out event was held at the Brantford Golf and Country Club in support of Crossing All Bridges Learning Centre.
Lyndsay Jordan, Chair of the Witches Night Out fundraiser, said the night included live music from the Justin Mackie Band, games, raffles, prizes and food, as well as mediums and tarot card readers.
“It started as a third-party fundraiser initiative that the Learning Centre then adopted onto itself,” said Michelle Drake, Executive Director of the Crossing All Bridges Learning Centre. “For the last four years, the Learning Centre ran the event, and now our foundation runs it.”
Karen Robb, treasurer of the Crossing All Bridges Foundation, said the goal is for all proceeds to support the Learning Centre. Robb said four local mothers founded the organization in 2003, which is why the event is geared toward women.
Jordan described Crossing All Bridges as a day program that focuses on life skills, continuing education and friendships for adults living with developmental disabilities.
Jordan said attendance has almost doubled since the first year.
“Right now, it’s all run solely by volunteers, with no staff members, whereas the first couple of years were run by staff,” said Jordan. “The music has gotten better, the food has gotten better, the prizes have gotten better.”
The event has changed venues over the years. Jordan said the first year was held at Bethel Community Church, followed by a move to Best Western, and the event has settled at the golf club for about three or four years.
“Space, and then funding as well,” said Drake, when asked why the venue changed. “Being that it is a fundraiser, the optimal goal is to keep your expenses as low as possible. The golf and country club works with local charities to host fundraising events at a lower cost, which enables organizations like ours to raise maximum profit.”
Drake said the club also donated one of the night’s prizes, a one-year social membership valued at $1,750, which was given away in one of the games.
“We’re always looking for volunteers to support the organization, whether it’s the Learning Centre, the Foundation, for events or otherwise,” said Robb.
