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Maple Ridge Halloween display gives helping hand to pets in need

Alouette Cemetery raising money for Katie's Place for third year

Halloween displays can be much more than just a place to get some delightful spooks, they can also be a powerful tool in helping local charities.

That's what a couple of Maple Ridge homes are proving with the popular Alouette Cemetery display, which is visited by hundreds of people each year. 

Brad Lyle, who is one of the masterminds behind Alouette Cemetery, explained that although he loves helping bring the elaborate Halloween display to life each year, the reason he does this goes much deeper than just a love for the spooky season.

"This thing we do is much more than the spectacle of a popular award-winning Halloween display; it’s a community effort to support Katie’s Place Animal Shelter," said Lyle.

For the third year in a row, Alouette Cemetery is collecting donations for Katie's Place, which is a volunteer-run no-kill animal shelter based in Maple Ridge.

So far, the fundraiser has managed to collect $2,500 for Katie's Place throughout the past two years, with a goal of raising $2,000 this year.

"Charities like food banks and foundations such as Make-a-Wish are wonderful causes, and it’s great that so many people support them. However, organizations like Katie’s Place often don’t receive the same attention as those other fundraising activities," said Lyle. "That's why it’s so important to us to try and raise money for the important work they do in our community."

To keep people coming back and making donations year after year, the homeowners for the two properties that make up Alouette Cemetery work hard to mix things up and introduce new elements to the display each year.

Visitors this October will notice a new skeletal observer hovering above them, which Lyle revealed is called The Angel of Lost Souls.

"This prop has a nine-foot articulating wing span and soars 14 feet above the Cauldron Creep in the north yard," he said.

There are also several other changes, which include the giant spider on the roof now being animated, some new lighting and sound effects, and a new gravestone.

Lyle explained that it's priceless to see the faces of kids and adults alike light up when they stop by the display each year.

"This is a place that kids will remember for the rest of their lives. We’ve built a small amusement park here," said Lyle.

"Last year, there was a gentleman from California who was visiting his daughter, and they came to see the display. I think he was in his 70s, and he said to me, 'This place makes me feel like a kid again!' So we’re building memories for kids of all ages."

In addition to local Halloween lovers being thankful for Alouette Cemetery, Katie's Place president Magdalena Romanow said she is also incredibly grateful for the work that Lyle, his wife, and his neighbours go through to collect these donations each year.

"Every donation goes a long way in helping us care for vulnerable animals and find them loving homes," said Romanow.

Anyone wanting to visit Alouette Cemetery can stop by 12795 227A St. any day in October between the hours of 6 and 9 p.m.



Brandon Tucker

About the Author: Brandon Tucker

I have been a journalist since 2013, with much of my career spent covering sports and entertainment stories in Alberta.
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