HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-10-14, Page 3Wednesday, October 14, 2015 • News Record 3
Blyth Witches' Walk gets Panovski preli nnar h
canceiiea
Laura Broadley
Clinton News Record
A 13 -year tradition in
Blyth has been cancelled
just a few weeks before it
was set to take place on
Oct. 17.
The annual Witches'
Walk is a much -loved event
set in the weeks before Hal-
loween. It draws hundreds
of people, who are deter-
mined to be scared, from
all over the area.
Up until last year the
walk happened on the
Greenway Trail. Co-organ-
izer Hope Button said the
committee decided to do
something different so they
moved it into the shed
behind the Blyth arena.
Button said when it was
outside the team was often
setting up in the rain and a
lot of their props weren't
able to withstand the rain
so they ended up having to
leave a lot of the stuff
behind.
They've also had issues
with vandalism and theft so
setting up outside before-
hand is not an option,
which means that every-
thing has to be put up and
at last minute
earmg on mur er cBaring on mur er c arge
begins in Goderich
taken down on the day of
the event.
A few weeks ago mem-
bers of the organizing com-
mittee met with fire offi-
cials who gave them a list of
requirements they had to
comply with in order for
the walk to go ahead.
Last year they were
required to have smoke
detectors and fire extin-
guishers but they were not
asked to use fire retardant,
which they were told they
had to do this year, accord-
ing to Button.
"I don't know why last
year this wasn't brought up
to us," said Button.
The committee was told
they would have to spray
the black plastic going up
to walls and covering the
floor as wells as their dried
corn.
James Marshall, fire pre-
vention officer with North
Huron, said the Fire
Department of North
Huron requested a fire pre-
vention inspection prior to
the event this year. He said
fire safety at indoor
haunted houses changed
when eight teenagers died
31 years ago. International
standards reflect the les-
sons learned from that
event, he added.
"I can't inspect some-
thing that's not there so as
they set up and show me
what they're looking to do,
then I can inspect it. But to
go into a building that's
wide open with nothing
done in it, it's very difficult
to do any kind of fire and
safety inspection, " said
Marshall.
Marshall said he wasn't
the inspector last year, so
he can't comment on what
happened then.
The fire retardant had to
be shipped in from Vancou-
ver but Marshall said with
fast shipping it could have
been here within the time-
frame. He also said that once
it's applied it doesn't need to
be reapplied every year.
"FDNH and North Huron
asked the Witches' Walk to
purchase fire retardant,
which FDNH would apply
to all of the props, and
offered to implement all of
the other required fire
safety measures at no cost
to the Witches' Walk to
ensure this year's event
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could safely carry on. We
are disappointed that this
event is not do -able within
the time window we all
had," said Marshall.
There are only four peo-
ple in the committee and
with the Thanksgiving holi-
day and work schedules,
Button said there wasn't
enough time to fulfill all the
requirements.
"We're not upset about
the regulations and the
rules. It was just the timing
of what they brought upon
us."
Button said it's too much
work to bring it back out
onto the trail within a mat-
ter of a few weeks.
"A lot of people are really
questioning why [we can-
celled] and it's just a lack of
time, that's all," said
Button.
"We are not happy that
we had to do this, we all
really love Halloween and
we really love [the Witches'
Walk]."
The future of the Witches'
Walk is uncertain as Button
said the committee has not
discussed it yet.
John Miner
Postmedia Network
The preliminary hearing for
Boris Panovski started last
Wednesday morning in
Goderich court.
Panovski, 70, is charged
with first-degree murder in
the death of Don Frigo at
the Hullett Marsborih in
September 2014. He is also
charged with the attempted
murder of Frigo's wife Eva
Frigo.
Panovski is represented at
the hearing by lawyer Scott
Cowan. The Crown Attorney
is Teresa Donnelly.
A ban has been placed on
publication of evidence in the
hearing.
John Miner Postmedia Network
Boris Panovski, charged with murder and attempted murder,
enters the courthouse in Goderich for a preliminary hearing on
Oct. 7, 2015.
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