Halloween havoc
The Halloween Ghost Train Scary Fairy Tales exhibit is open in Stanley Park with Snow White, the Three Little Pigs and Big Bad Wolf lurking behind trees ready to leap out at unsuspecting riders.
The spectacularly spooky spectacle is led by a wolf that guides potential victims into a scary forest and as the train rolls, passengers will see trolls in the village, castles in the trees and Snow White in a glass coffin in the cemetery. The annual event is the brainchild of Mortal Coil Performance Society, whose artistic director Peter Hall promises Scary Fairy Tales is fun for the whole family.
Riders can also visit the Haunted Castle and enjoy crafts, games and entertainment. There are pumpkin carving nights Oct. 16 and 23, and a costume contest Oct. 30. New this year is Spooky Movie Night on Thursdays and Saturdays, as well as a Pumpkin Patch Night beginning Oct. 17 where kids can find a pumpkin to take home. The Ghost Train runs rain or shine until Oct. 31. For a sneak peak, visit YouTube and search for Stanley Park Ghost Train. For ticket information, visit vancouver.ca.
Eco-donation
The Stanley Park Ecology Society is launching HSBC Freshwater Initiatives in Stanley Park, thanks to a $50,000 donation from the financial institution.
The year-long projects will make a difference for wildlife in Stanley Park by contributing to the restoration of its aquatic eco-systems and enhancing habitat through community stewardship. The society's conservation team will place floating logs in Lost Lagoon to provide freshwater roosts and habitat, while its stewardship team will work on wire-wrapping trees on the foreshore near the bottom of the plaza to protect trees from beaver damage. Vision Vancouver park board vice-chair Aaron Jasper, society executive director Patricia Thomson and conservation programs manager Robyn Worcester will make an official announcement about the initiatives at 11 a.m. Oct. 10 at the viewing plaza by Lost Lagoon.
Holiday spirit
With all this talk recently about isolation and how hard it is to make friends in this city, I was particularly saddened Friday when the Courier received a phone call from a senior who said with no family, she had no place to go for Thanksgiving dinner.
The fact this newspaper was the only place she thought to reach out to for help was sad. Our office manager June Stafford, who initially spoke with the woman, came to me for ideas after calling several seniors agencies without any luck.
I put the word out on Twitter and Facebook about this senior's story and within seconds it was retweeted and shared with Face-book friends. As a result, within 15 minutes I heard from former Liberal MLA for Vancouver Bur-rard Lorne Mayencourt, who now works as the government caucus's new outreach director. Not long after, I heard from the office of Spencer Chandra Herbert, the current NDP MLA for Vancouver Burrard who also offered to help.
Mayencourt was on a B.C. Ferries vessel, but via cellphone he promised the woman would enjoy a turkey dinner during the long weekend with new friends of her own age.
With Christmas just around the corner I have a feeling we'll receive more of these types of calls. Anyone with information about holiday and special event meal programs can email me and I'll make sure to get the word out and pass the information along to Stafford, who deftly handles all of our front-line calls.
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Twitter: @sthomas10
