Nearly 200 people attended the Bell Homestead National Historic Site’s annual Halloween Fun Fair on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
The free event brought together families of all ages, many of whom came wearing their costumes, for an afternoon of old-fashioned, Halloween-themed activities and crafts.
Upon arrival, youngsters picked up stamp cards at the visitor centre before heading out to explore more than a dozen stations scattered throughout the historic site.
From the mad chemist’s toss to the skeleton hand relay race, pumpkin tic-tac-toe, creepy-crawlie catch, face paint, and more, there were plenty of activities to entertain the children.
“We’ve got quite a few things taking place around the grounds this afternoon,” said Robert Stanczyk, Curator of the Bell Homestead. “We’ve got graveyard mini golf, spooktacular crafts in our barn, sack races, a little ghost hunt in the Bell house, and even a witch in the kitchen that’s giving out some pumpkin spice shortbread too.”
After completing each activity, children collected a stamp from the volunteer at each station. Once their cards were full, they returned to the visitor centre to pick up a pre-made bag of candy to take home with them.
Those looking for a little snack could also purchase a cookie, hot chocolate or apple-cider for two-dollars outside of the Exchange Café.
Paris resident Preeti Lotay said it was her and her daughter’s first time attending the event and that they were enjoying everything on offer.
“I think this is so neat. There’s a lot of great activities for the kids and it’s not so heavily treat-focused either, which is nice too. It’s just a great way to celebrate Halloween, keep the kids busy, and get them engaged outside,” she said. “I also can’t remember if I’ve ever been in the Bell house before, but it was really interesting to see the stove and the old school iron in the laundry room, too. Everything feels so well preserved, and I’m actually thinking of coming back here to check it out again.”
When Lotay asked her four-year-old daughter what her favourite part of the day was, the shy youngster offered a short but sweet response.
“When I came here!” she said quietly, with a smile.
Overall, Stanczyk said he and his team were happy with the turnout to the event.
“The turnout has actually been really great. It’s probably because we’ve had such lovely weather today, but we’ve already had about 178 people come through,” he said. “It’s just nice to put on an event that everyone can enjoy and bring people to the homestead to take part in fun Halloween activities while also learning historical facts as well. We’ve also been enjoying a lot of the different costumes and Halloween-themed outfits today too.”
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.
