www.insidehalton.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, October 20, 2017 |8 H aun ted house ensures cupboard w on't be b are by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff An Oakville man is offering up some scares, some food and a lot of fun for a good cause. Todd Wirtz has once again turned the front yard of his 111 Solingate Dr., home into a freaky menagerie of monsters, ghosts and ghouls. The haunted attraction has been a Halloween `must visit' in Oakville for the last 24 years with Wirtz noting this year will be bigger and better. "Theres everything from an animatronic scarecrow to gargoyles in the air, smoking cauldrons, witches. There' s just so much to see," said Wirtz. "It is spooky not gory. It is kid friendly." Wirtz said his haunted yard is so extensive it takes him seven to eight days to set everything up. He also ends up spending about $1,500 maintaining or adding to the spooky spectacle. Wirtz says he does it all for the children. "When I was a kid I Oakville's Todd Wirtz, left, helps sort food at Fare Share Food Bank. At right, Wirtz at his Haunted Manor Halloween display at his Soligate Drive home. He uses the display to collect goods and money in support of Fare Share. | Riziero Vertolli/Metroland loved Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, but Halloween was my favourite. You could dress up, grab a pillowcase and run around the whole neighbourhood and have such a great time," he said. "I want the kids that come to me to remember so that when they get their own place maybe they'll do something like this. I just don't want Halloween to die off." This year Wirtz will once again collect donations for Fare Share Food Bank. Last year his attraction attracted around 600 kids Halloween night along with about 7,000 pounds of food and $5,000, which was donated to Fare Share. This year Wirtz is hoping to exceed or at least match last year' s donation levels. To that effect he has three bins currently set up on his | Metroland Media file photo property where residents can donate non-perishable food items at any point between now and Halloween. Fare Share Food Bank has been helping Oakville families in need since 1988 and currently serves 350 to 400 families (approximately 1,200 to 1,800 people) per month from its 1240 Speers Rd., location. "Nobody should be hungry in Oakville," said Wirtz. Some of the most needed items at Fare Share include: ·Powdered Laundry Soap ·Instant Coffee ·Cereal (hot/cold) ·Pancake Mix/Syrup ·Cookies/Crackers ·Cake Mixes!cing ·Side Dishes (rice/pasta/ potatoes) ·Diapers (size 4, 5 and 6) The Solingate Manor will come to life Flalloween night (Tuesday, Oct. 31) as soon as it gets dark. In addition to candy and frights for the kids there will also be a hospitality tent for adults, which will feature barbecued food, hot chocolate, and other refreshments in exchange for Fare Share donations. Wirtz said he would accept both food and monetary donations Halloween night. For information, visit www. oakvillehauntedhouse.ca. S u p p o r t Y o u r L o c a l H o s p ita l a n d W IN B IG E v e r y W e e k Purchase your tickets every W ednesday and Th u rsd a y at the O a k ville Tra fa lga r M em orial H ospital g ift shop for yo u r chance to w in the w e e kly Catch the Ace jackpot! V isit h alto n ca tch th ea ce.ca for lo tte ry details. IN S U P P O R T OF Georgetown Hospital Foundation Living. Giving. Carlr TICKETS CASH ONLY JOSEPH BRANT I TI c l HOSPITAL FOUNDATION in I m c iif Milton District Hospital Foundation O akville H ospital Foun dation O n tario P roblem G am b ling H elpline: 1-888-230-3505 License # 9240 · Licensee: Jo sep h B rant H ospital Foun dation