‘The town looks like a Hallmark movie,’

By Mark Squibb/October 28, 2022

Driving through Carbonear, you’ll notice that the town is looking especially festive as Halloween approaches.

Decorative haybales, adored with picturesque pumpkins and scarecrows, have been set up around town, making for perfect fall photobooths.

“I’ve heard a couple of comments that the town looks a whole lot like a Hallmark movie,” said councillor Danielle Doyle during this past week’s meeting. “So, for anybody who likes a Hallmark movie, that’s good stuff… We see so many people out in the community getting their pictures taken with the hay and the pumpkins and the spider that’s over in the pergola area that’s made with the Funkins (artificial carvable pumpkins). There are some cut outs for people to put their faces in, and I think there are some cut outs coming out this week for Halloween.”

The Town is currently in the midst of it’s annual Hub of The Bay Harvest Festival, which began October 1 and runs until November 1.

“We’ve had a very, very successful Harvest Festival, which is still ongoing,” said Doyle. “I know that the Town has been working very hard at updating the schedule of events, because I notice that the schedule goes out one day and then goes out another day because there’s things constantly being added. So, it’s great to see that so many people are taking part in it.”

Doyle added that so far as she knew, and Economic Development Officer Kerri Abbott could correct her, a record number of businesses had participated in the Harvest Festival Business Passport shopping campaign, an initiative in which businesses mark a circle on shopper’s passports when they make a purchase. The passports can then be submitted to the Town for a chance to win a price valued at $500.

During a report later in the meeting, Abbott noted the festival was put off with funding from the federal government’s Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

“That was the Downtown Revitalization Funding Stream that was specifically for a festival or event that had to be put off before December 1, so we chose to go with October 1 to November 1, because in this region there’s not a whole lot going on,” said Abbott.

Later in the meeting, Deputy Mayor Sam Slade complimented the Town’s festive decorations as well, thanking Abbott and the public works crew for their work.

“I just have to say, driving around town, and you see the mums and the haybales and the pumpkins, and how smart Carbonear looks, I would like to thank you and all the guys down at Public Works,” said Slade. “It looks really smart; it looks really fitting for the town. So, we’re ready for Halloween. Bring it on.”