Artist Tim Murton and partner Julie Denneny have long believed “if you build it, they will come.”
Their effort was successful with last year’s Twilight Zoo and Scare Fair, inspiring thousands of Halloween lovers to join October festivities here.
Now, “We want the community to join in and add to the momentum,” said Murton. “We aim to have Elora the destination for Halloween in five years.”
He and Denneny are looking for ideas and opportunities to engage people to make a “sustainable,” independent event.
Returning to the grounds of the Elora Centre for the Arts this October, The Twilight Zoo features wire and gauze monsters for a family audience.
Murton’s creations caught the eye of media mogul Martha Stewart, who invited him, and a few of his monsters, to her Connecticut estate for a taping of her home décor TV show.
While the zoo has grown over the years, last season’s addition of a Scare Fair gave artists, entertainers and vendors with Halloween-themed merchandise a chance to join in, expanding the experience.
The artistic venture is part of Monster Month in Elora, which includes participating merchants and restaurants offering theme incentives for customers. Events such as Sensational Elora incorporated the monster madness, while independent groups, such as Older Voice Walking Tours and Fight Like a Pirate, to name a few, joined with activities to engage people.
Another highlight was the annual Monster March Parade, a free, non-motorized event winding through streets of the village, ending at the entrance to the zoo.
The success of last year’s event, held as a fundraiser for the arts centre, raised $5,000 for the not-for-profit group. It also earned the Murton and Denneny honours, winning the 2012 Centre Wellington Cultural Tourism Impact award at the Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce’s annual Awards of Excellence.
“That was a fabulous validation for all the hard work we did last year,” Murton said. “We want to build on the success of last year and make it not bigger, but better.”
They admit the show requires a lot of dedication. “It took four months of prep work and pretty much exhausted our personal finances,” said Denneny. “With such a great turn out, we eventually recouped our expenses, but we need help to keep the ball rolling this year.”
The Scare Fair is seeking sponsors for in-kind donations, such as lumber, wire, garbage cans and hay bales. Cash donations could also help purchase materials and cover expenses. Contest prizes will allow activities to be expanded.
Monthly Scare Fair planning meetings will take place the first Tuesday of each month. Volunteers are needed for bookkeeping, information distribution, set-up and tear down, and at venues throughout the event.
“We’d love for community groups to create something unique to sell or run a games booth to promote awareness or raise funds for their own organizations too. The range of possible activities is endless,” said Denneny. “We’d like to see a game of skull field hockey or soccer, tug of war, monster lawn bowling, skull ring toss, pumpkin pie eating contests, anything that could be adapted to our theme and help to make this an event not to miss.”
Denneny invites people to pitch an idea to offer at this year’s fair.
New for Monster Month this year is the Scare Crow Contest and Tour, where everyone is invited to display their creations and enter to be featured on the tour map and a chance to win prizes
The 2012 Monster March parade will follow a theme of the Pied Piper and his rats, featuring lead piper Robyn Aggus.
Murton is offering workshops for people to learn the art of creating rat and skull masks for the occasion. Workshops will take place from Sept. 11 to 13, from 6 to 9pm at the Elora Curling Club.
On Sept. 15, another workshop will build spiders, from 10am to 5pm. Participants from ages 8 to 15 must have an adult present. Each workshop is $90.
“This is a valuable time for parents and kids to get creative together,” said Murton.
More workshops will be announced soon.
Murton’s Twilight Zoo will be featured at the arts centre from Thanksgiving to Halloween, Oct. 6 to 31. Scare Fair weekend will join the zoo from Oct. 19 to 21. The Monster March parade takes place Oct. 20 at 6:30pm.
For more information or to add “monstrous” ideas, visit www.monstermonth.ca, www.scarefair.ca or email halloweenelora@cogeco.ca.
