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3 |Friday, October 7, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER Refugee leams town's spooky past leading Ghost Walks continued from p . l "Because I'm new to Canada, it' s important to learn about Oakville' s and Canada's history There are important people in the past, who are heroes, so they're important to Canada and to Oakville," said A1 Balkhi. "I want to leam about them and talk about them so people aren't going to forget them." When the teen came to Oakville, it didn't take him long to get settled. "The people of Oakville are very nice. The streets and houses are beautiful. There are a lot of things that are beautiful. Every single thing makes Oakville beautiful," he said. A1 Balkhi will play the role of a shipbuilder on the walks and he hopes it will help him make friends and build his resume. "It' s a good thing to walk and leam, but communicating with Oakville residents will be good, as well. Iti easy and fun," he said. "I hope the experience from this volunteer work will help me leam what to do to get work for a living." OHS volunteer Wendy Belcher, who has led the walks for more than a decade, said A1 Balkhi' s character is that of a stowaway who ended up working for William Chisholm. An eye patch fits a backstory of being injured in a sword fight. According to Belcher, about 3,000 people have taken the OHS tour since 2008. Staged in the 1850s, around the time Oakville was founded by Chisholm, the ghost walks are a unique annual attraction because people are interested in hearing ghost stories as well as Mohammad Al Balkhi, 15, and Oakville Historical Society (OHS) member Wendy Belcher will be helping with ghost walks through the downtown heritage district.The walks are hosted ahead of Halloween by the OHS and see costumed OHS volunteers as residents of days gone by. | Nikki Wesley/Metroland learning the town' s history, Belcher said. "Usually, we will have people share their own ghost stories, something that' s happened in their house. People who are new to Oakville, or even those who've been here awhile, don't know the history for almost the last 200 years," said Belcher, noting the walks are the largest fundraising initiative for the OHS. She noted preparations for this year' s ghost walks started in August. "The actual ghosts probably have their own outfits. I certainly have my own and the man who plays Capt. (Robert) Wilson has his outfit. The kids tried on their costumes (Sept. 29). It was like dress-up day," said Belcher. Historical people to be featured as `ghosts' on this year' s walks, include: Nancy Griggsa, who, with her husband, Barnet, came to Oakville from Newjersey with a long-case clock on the back of a horse, and Mary Sumner, who was married to long-time constable George Sumner. "George is always a roaming ghost, looking to see that all is going well at night," said Belcher. People can also expect to see the following ghosts wandering the streets during the walks: · Esther Thomas, Chisholm' s sister-in-law, of the Silverthom family for whom schools and streets are named in Mississauga and Etobicoke; · Rebecca Chisholm, Esther' s older sister and wife of Chisholm (for whom Rebecca Street is named); · Peter A. McDougald, former Oakville mayor who built the original granary and was married to Chisholm' s daughter; · Capt. Robert Wilson, who smuggled slaves into Upper Canada from the U.S., after whom Captain R. Wilson public school was named; · Mrs. Wilson, Robert' s mother, who brought 10 children to Canada from Ireland and raised them on her own; ·Alice, a ghost said to roam inside the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts. "It' s fun to kind of pretend that you're going back in time," said Belcher. Each one-hour walk, with refreshments served afterwards, starts at 110 King St. Walks on Oct. 13 start at 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., while the remaining dates have start times of 6 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $6 for children aged 12 and younger. For a complete schedule or to reserve a spot, call 905-844-2695 or visit www.oakvillehistory org. | www.insideHALTON.com barrelife Oakville's ONLY Unlimited Pilates Reformer Packages available at Barre Life Studio Let Your Natural Beauty Shine Through At Any Age $7 $ 5 0 - 1 Week Intro to Pilates Reformer $ 1 6 0 /m th - Pilates Reformer $ 2 4 0 /m t h - Barre and Pilates Reformer f PURCHASE ONE SYRINGE OF FILLER AND RECIEVE J m m ^ '? / $ , t !' / /y / * V ] i OCTOBER SPECIAL 25 UNITS OF BOTOX FREE -- - __ A OAKVILLE O W I 15* 2 5 Y E A R S IN O A K V IL L E NON-SURGICAL OFFERS Laser Skin Rejuvenation * * * * Acne Treatment Laser Hair Removal Photofacial Skin Resurfacing Skin Health Management: Facial Peels Latisse Comprehensive Skin Care Analysis Sclerotheropy ZO Skin Health p r °-^ es l i.u lie stm e n t.' can w ith th e optim um in vehicle rust control and much more! .. . 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