More than a thousand local residents attended the Myrtleville-Mayfair Neighbourhood Association and Brant Historical Society’s sixth annual Halloween Haunt at Myrtleville House Museum on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
The free, three-hour event offered a variety of spookacular activities for visitors of all ages. Many came dressed to impress, with costumes varying from witches to Rubix Cubes,
Upon arrival, youngsters and their families stopped by the candy giveaway station at the entrance to grab some Halloween treats, make a donation, and receive a warm welcome from members of the Myrtleville-Mayfair Neighbourhood Association.
As visitors made their way up the gravestone- and pumpkin-lined pathway, they quickly began spreading out to explore the property, admiring the line up inflatable characters and hopping in line for the haunted house. On the way in, many people could be overheard talking about how much work it must have taken to transform the large property into a haunted spectacle.
After touring through both floors of the Victorian-era home, which featured a host of ghouls, witches and eerie decor, those looking for an extra fright braved their way through the live actor scare zone where several teenage volunteers were waiting to jump out and scare them.
For youngsters seeking a less spooky experience, many began heading over to the kids zone on the other side of the property.
Inside the driveshed, visitors got into the Halloween spirit by helping a witch make a potion, playing games, guessing the number of candies in the jar, or posing for a family picture at the designated photo booth.
Just outside, many spent their time making new friends over a variety of lawn games in the self-play area, or lining up for a visit with the balloon twister. From swords to crowns, plenty of youth left with a fun creation of their choosing.
As the sun began to set and the property lit up in an orange glow, families cuddled up with blankets to watch various Halloween Scooby-Doo movies.
Brantford resident AJ Jain, who attended the event with her son and their friends, said it was their first time taking part in the community event and that they were enjoying all the activities being offered.
“We live in West Brant so we’ve never been to this event before but I think it’s great so far,” she said. “I think the best thing about this, which is very unique, is the haunted house experience. I really wanted to do one with him this year, but there aren’t many that are kid friendly. For example, we could have gone to the Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland, but while they’re not itty bitty kids, they’re still at an age where that’s too frightening for them. They’re eight and so they actually really enjoyed the house here. It was just the right amount of scary for them and I think that was their favourite thing so far.”
Jain continued, saying, “Coming up the trail and seeing all the carved pumpkins, the signage and the fun decorations was just amazing. The kids have been having a great time and we really appreciate how many activities there are for them. The longest thing we had to wait for was the balloon twister, but that was totally worth it. I also appreciate that it was a free event because some of the other things happening around town are so expensive, like $40 for two of us to go. So, we may have come for the haunted house, but we stayed for everything else and I’m glad we came.”
In a post made to social media on Monday, October 26, the Myrtleville-Mayfair Neighbourhood Association extended its thanks for all those who made the event such a great success.
“On behalf of our entire small-but-mighty Myrtleville Mayfair Neighbourhood Association Executive Team, thank you to everyone who helped to make our 6th Annual Halloween Haunt a success!” the post states. “The success of this event extends well beyond our little team to include our sponsors, community donors and partners, our 50-plus event volunteers (most of which are high school students!) and all the neighbours who show up to experience the event.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
