event: Each finding their own lost souls
Sarah Caufield, The Peak

The Saturday before Halloween, The Parade of the Lost Souls, in its 10th year of production by the Public Dreams Society, invited the community to come and take part as Grandview Park became a frighteningly wonderful venue for a celebration of both the dead and the living. It was a night of art, drama, music, amazing costumes, stilts, fire, fun, and fear.

Before the main events began, people were invited to explore the many shrines created to celebrate those lost. There were shrines to Columbine, Mr. Dress-Up, the WTC, pets, and grandparents, among others. Some were serious, while others had a sense of joy in them: the shrine to grandmothers was complete with photos, old lipsticks, grandma (scotch) mints, and a Kit Kat bar. As people explored, local folk band Sambata Celestial provided music, while the Spectacular Young Artists & Performers Group put on Persephone & the Pomegranate, a production of drama, music, and fireplay.

Soon the actual parade began, led by drum bands and performers, but inviting everyone to join in. The parade meandered through the alleyways, and everyone got into the Halloween spirit. Many people had put a great deal of work into costumes, and everyone was dancing and shouting while on-lookers encouraged the fun. There were three parts to the parade: White (Honour the Dead), Red (Wake the Living), and Black (Face our Fears). Each part had its own performers, both leading and providing entertainment en route, such as the lone accordianist in Mosaic Creek Park, playing a sad tune as "bats" flew about, or the brass band performing amidst gravestones citing things like homophobia and racism.

After winding past the Seven Sins, the parade ended in the football field. Everyone was invited to burn their fears (pieces of paper saying "fear"), to give their desire wings (again, slips of paper), and marvel at more performances. There were shadow shows, another drum band, and an amazing "Fire Finale" which involved fire dancing, drumming, and a fireworks display to end the night.

On paper, the whole night might sound a little silly. But then, Halloween is just that - a night to celebrate the dead, face our fears, and wake the living, and an excuse to inject a little bit of magic into our world.

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