Dear editor:

Niagara-on-the-Lake already knows how to celebrate Halloween. Could Old Town make a little more of it?

Think about what we already have. NOTL is often described as one of Ontario’s most haunted towns. We have buildings with ghost stories attached to them — the Apothecary, the Olde Angel Inn and even a certain room in the Prince of Wales Hotel.

And we already have Ghost Walks, a Queen Street business that takes visitors on guided tours of haunted places and shares the stories associated with them. The interest in our town’s ghost stories is already established.

We don’t have to invent the atmosphere. It’s already here.

Our town’s history and folklore offer plenty of inspiration for a Halloween celebration that is entertaining, imaginative and respectful of the past.

So why not make a bigger deal of Halloween in Old Town?

What if participating restaurants offered a Halloween-inspired dish or dessert? What if servers dressed up, or simply added some theatrical makeup? What if shops decorated their windows and businesses got creative with pumpkins, ghosts, witches and whatever else their imaginations could come up with?

And what if participating businesses offered a Halloween passport? Visitors could explore Old Town, collect stamps at participating establishments and enter a draw for a prize.

By the time Halloween arrives, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s busiest tourist season is winding down. A co-ordinated Halloween celebration could give visitors another reason to come to Old Town, encourage them to explore more businesses and give local merchants a shared opportunity to attract customers.

We have the history. We have the architecture. We have the ghost stories. We have the restaurants, wineries, shops and hotels.

And, apparently, we have the ghosts.

Debra Rowe
Old Town