Winnipeg kids return to the streets for 'irreplaceable' Halloween fun

A year-long countdown ended for kids across Winnipeg on Sunday, with many once again hitting the streets to fill up a bag of candy on Halloween night after rising COVID-19 cases and tightening pandemic rules all but cancelled last year's festivities.

Among them was seven-year-old Evie Morrison, who started asking for regular updates about how many days were left until the big event as soon as October rolled around.

"Evie didn't go trick-or-treating last year, so this is pretty exciting for her. We went driving around looking at different kinds of lighting set-ups and that was fun, but this is irreplaceable," mom Danielle Morrison said on the front lawn of her Wolseley home, where she put out a bowl of candy and a bottle of hand sanitizer for trick-or-treaters.

This year also marked a special one for the family, who moved out of their apartment and into a house for the first time — giving Danielle a chance to go all out decorating the front lawn with light-up pumpkins, inflatable characters and spooky lights.

"It's nice to feel something normal this year and get to celebrate and see the kids and their faces light up," she said, watching across the street as her daughter travelled door-to-door with her friends, hoping to snag an Aero chocolate bar.

"Being able to bring her out this year is just incomparable, as a parent."

Across Portage Avenue, this year's Halloween was also a welcome change for Dawn Crassweller, who brought her family out to trick-or-treat in the area where she grew up.

Crassweller said it was tough to have to keep her kids home last year as COVID-19 cases started to spike in Manitoba, causing several experts and officials — including Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman — to urge people to skip trick-or-treating.

"So this year, we're really excited to take the kids out," she said alongside her partner, Darren Fontaine.

"My little ones here are enjoying it, so that makes it that much more special."

Crassweller's daughter, four-year-old Avary Fontaine, couldn't believe how much candy she'd collected in her tote bag.

"It's getting heavy!" she said, gleefully looking down into her growing collection of treats.

Residents Jennifer Cappy and Mark Rodger pulled out all the stops decorating their house this Halloween, where kids were greeted by a creepy, animatronic jester and a life-sized skeleton dressed in pirate's garb.

"Last year most of the kids couldn't get out, so we wanted to go a little bit extra," Rodger said through a red devil face mask.