On a cold and windy Halloween night in Steinbach, Man., a unique creation brought trick-or-treaters out by the hundreds. Over 500 to be exact.
Jake Rempel wanted to make something memorable and creative for this year’s Halloween and came away with an eight-bucket candy-filled ferris wheel.
“When I initially put it online, people started commenting that their kids were so excited and I thought really there isn’t anything for the kids to do other than reach into a bucket and grab some candy,” said Rempel, who thought the idea while crafting a prototype with popsicle sticks.
He used dozens of wooden boards along with some leftover fencing material to craft the nine-foot-tall device.
Rempel says he and his family handed out over 500 candy bags between 5 and 9 p.m., with the bulk of trick-or-treaters coming around 7 p.m.
“We had hand sanitizer out, we were amazed at how many people were using it. People were social distancing, we didn’t even have to encourage that, it just happened naturally.”
The Rempel’s shattered their 2019 trick-or-treater record of 250 well before the conclusion of the evening.
“It seemed like people needed a reason to get out and Halloween provided that reason for them,” said Rempel.
Even more surprising than the outstanding turnout may have been the unpleasant weather conditions. A clear Saturday forecast in Steinbach quickly turned into a cold October evening with strong winds.
“A few times I thought our ferris wheel was going to fly away, that wind was so fierce and little bits of snow here and there that were blowing.”
Steinbach is currently under fewer COVID-19 restrictions than Winnipeg. The city will move to level orange restrictions on Monday which includes mandatory mask use inside public building along with a gathering size limit of five in and outdoors.