BALJENNIE — Halloween is just around the corner. The North Battleford Western Development Museum is hosting a masquerade and dance Oct. 28 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Contact Program and Volunteer Co-ordinator Heather O’Neill for more details and tickets.
It is a good way for friends and families to meet to celebrate the spooky season together. There will be pumpkin decorating and carving, a skeleton hunt and games and treats. Everyone goes home with a pumpkin.
Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation will hold their festival of trees later in November.
This past weekend there was a partial eclipse. It lasted about two hours but was not visible in our area because of cloud cover The next solar eclipse will happen April 8.
Stanly Mills visited John and Laura Heilman of rural Wilkie. I would like to say hello to them. Sorry, I was not able to go in person. Laura drives a school bus in the Wilkie area. She is also involved with the Wilkie Museum along with her son Philip. They are making some changes to the museum as one of their buildings is being repaired. The museum is closed for the season. It will open again in the spring of 2024.
Until the mid-19th century All Hallows Day, Nov. 1, was a day set to honour departed souls. The previous evening, All Hallows Eve, people wandered the streets to escort ghosts of the departed from the village. Over the years All Hallows Eve evolved to what is now Halloween. At one time, witches danced with abandon accompanied by sleek black cats. The event has since been stripped of most sinister connotation and become a holiday enjoyed by those who like to get dressed up. Few enjoy dressing up as much as children. It is the perfect opportunity for imagination to flow. Costumes need not be elaborate, but they do need to be safe and visible in the dark.
