The City of St. Albert has once again given the green light for residents to host the 2nd annual Treat Accessibility Halloween Village on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The free Halloween party will take place primarily on Ellington Crescent. However, individual houses in Erin Ridge, North Ridge, Deer Ridge, Braeside, Grandin, Akinsdale, Oakmont, Woodlands, Lacombe Park and Sturgeon Heights are contributing. The City of St. Albert has posted a map and addresses of locations.
Rich Padulo, founder of Treat Accessibility for children and parents with limited mobility, has stated the national movement is intended to bring together people of all abilities.
“The primary goal is to have fun, and be safe, but also to share that experience visually with the rest of Canada,” said Padulo. He hopes individuals will capture the moment and post videos on social media.
Padulo created the occasion in Eastern Canada after recognizing a wheelchair-bound youngster on his street was unable to go trick-or-treating due to hurdles such as motoring up steep inclines or hills and navigating stairs.
Last year 35 participating homeowners on Ellington Crescent, a wide, flat street, set up tables at the end of their driveway loaded with tantalizing candies. At virtually every table, homeowners jumped into the Halloween spirit dressing in colourful costumes and doling out handfuls of treats.
About 650 people — children and parents — arrived wearing costumes ranging from mermaids, superheroes and aliens to witches, goblins and fortune tellers. In many cases, entire families arrived in costume creating a carnival atmosphere.
Back in 2017, Padulo first put out a table at the end of his driveway. The following year, he created a sensory-friendly bat cave in his garage and printed Treat Accessibility lawn signs and gave them free of charge to anyone wishing to join the campaign. Since then, it has snowballed across Canada.
“When people choose to treat accessibly, they create a more accessible and inclusive society for 400,000 Canadian children,” Padulo said.
To sign up for the Halloween Village or register as a barrier-free home visit stalbert.ca/city/fcss/inclusive/treat-accessibly/.
