For most, the beginning of October marks the start of the spooky season; but for one Halloween-obsessed family in Colwood, any day is a good day to scare the neighbours.
Since as early as June, Len and Melissa Bowers have been busy planning, building, growing and crafting for their pirate-themed display.
Visitors can expect to be creeped out by a crew of pirate skeletons, who are asking the community to plunder their pantries and purses, all for a good cause: the Goldstream Food Bank.
All cash and donations of non-perishable food will be given to the food bank, who in September appealed to the community for help, announcing their shelves were almost empty.
News of the Bowers’ efforts on social media have already prompted a wave of non-perishable food donations.
“I was shocked,” said Melissa, explaining they have had to find a bigger container to store food.
Alongside the misbehaving and drunken pirates, visitors will also find a genuine pumpkin patch, which Melissa planted in April especially for the display, a 'clown town' tunnel packed full of surprises and a handmade pirate ship, crafted out of wooden pallets.
The Bowers' love of Halloween spans many years – they sometimes have been known to put the holiday before their own needs. After moving to their home on Pickford Road in late September last year, before even thinking about unpacking essential items, the family immediately got to work on decorating the house for Halloween.
“Probably the first week of October we had everything set up and then it was time to unpack the house,” said Len, whose legs are covered in tattoos paying homage to classic horror films. “We had our priorities set.”
“We ate with plastic knives and forks and plates,” adds Melissa.
That year, the family’s house was visited by almost 300 children.
“We had been told to expect three or four kids,” said Len, who adds he hopes to welcome hundreds more to his haunted home.
Once the scary season was over in 2023, the neighbourhood soon realized how dedicated the family are to Halloween – their 12-foot tall skeleton, named ‘Skelly’, is a permanent fixture outside their house.
Throughout the year, the unofficial neighbourhood mascot is decorated according to the time of year. For the Olympics this year, ‘Skelly’ showed his support for Team Canada, and for Easter, he donned a pair of rabbit ears.
“At first I was worried that we were going to be labelled the crazy people,” says Melissa. “But then I started getting cards and people thanking us, telling us they're so excited … they have to take detours to see if we've changed him.”
About why she loves skeletons so much, Melissa says, “You look at a skeleton and you don’t know the gender or the colour … If we all looked at each other as equal like our skeletons inside, maybe this world would be a better place.”
The pirate-themed display will be up for all of October at 2960 Pickford Rd., with the Bowers planning a special celebration for the big day itself.
"We'll have a fog machine going, and I'm hoping that my brother can come and bring his candy truck, so we'll have cotton candy," says Melissa about plans for Oct. 31.
But there's no rest for the wicked, as the Bowers are already planning for next year's display. "We just love Halloween," they say.
