Halloween arrives in Kahnawake

It may be an unseasonably warm Halloween week, but the spirit of the season was still in the air in Kahnawake.

As part of the frightful festivities, the Kahnawake Youth Center (KYC) organized a variety of events for kids of all ages to take part in this week.

This year, KYC held a pumpkin painting and carving activity aimed for kids between the seventh and eleventh grade – where Minions from the Despicable Me franchise made frequent appearances in pumpkin form – as well as a Halloween Masquerade Dance. 

Among the dozens of costumes at the dance were a group of different colours of M&Ms, several Jasons, and the concept itself of box lacrosse – two players dressed in their lacrosse gear while wearing a large cardboard box.

“As long as we can provide multiple activities for different age groups, it's really engaging and fun for the whole community,” said Cheyanne McComber, community events organizer for KYC. “If we can provide new activities every year, it also makes my job fun!”

On Wednesday, the day before Halloween, was KYC’s big doubleheader outdoor event on Tekakwitha Island.

First was the Wicked Fun Fair, featuring carnival games. Food was also provided on site by Old Haunt BBQ and Berry Licious, and an outdoor screening of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride was shown. 

One of the games was done by Kahnawake Peacekeepers spokesperson Kyle Zachary, where kids could answer questions about safe Halloween habits in exchange for a positive ticket, which can be exchanged at Kahnawake Collective Impact for a prize.

“Events like these are important for us as an organization, because it shows that we're a little bit more than just enforcing laws. We care about the people in the community, and safety is a big issue for us,” said Zachary.

Others were carnival classics like popping balloons by throwing darts, or a casual game or cornhole.

The second half of the evening was the prison break game, starting after the Wicked Fun Fair wrapped up around 7 p.m.

Originally set for a maximum of 150 players, 242 “escaped prisoners” had to stay away from the Peacekeepers’ flashlights, while staying inside yellow caution tape that circled the large play area.

Players, whether they were caught or not, received a pillowcase-sized bag to trick or treat with. 

The Peacekeeper who found the most players also received a trophy – Corporal Kenneth Montour was the winner, finding 50 of the 183 “captured” players, while the rest were considered to have successfully escaped.

McComber said she found the idea by seeing a post of the same sort of game played in Oklahoma.

“When they did it, they’d hide around houses, because their community is only 1,400 people,” said McComber.

Because Kahnawake has several times more people, she thought the island would be a great place to hold the game.

She said that the prison break game is just one of many possible new ideas for activities – and she is always open to suggestions.

“We have QR codes if you want to fill out a survey at the end, everyone can give their information and details, and maybe someone will have the next best thing next year, and we'll help run with it,” said McComber.

Kahnawake Survival School (KSS), meanwhile, was host to their own version of the ever-popular Haunted Woods concept on Monday, October 28.

The event was a fundraiser for Grade 11’s prom this year.

Kids younger than 13 could enter for $5, while everyone else needed $10 to get in. Money was also raised through a half and half raffle, with the winner, Jackie Leclaire, walking away with $450.

KSS said that in total, the event raised $3,820.

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