Edmonton boo-levard becomes Candy Corn Lane for Halloween

Most Edmontonians are familiar with Candy Cane Lane — a residential street in Edmonton that comes alive at Christmas time.

Now, meet its Halloween counterpart. In the Summerside neighborhood in south Edmonton, on a street called Grande Boulevard, is Candy Corn Lane.

“I happen to like the Walking Dead, so mine is all zombies, all night,” said Rhonda Navratil, a Grande Boulevard resident.

Navratil has been a resident of Grande Boulevard since 2017. She says that the tradition has been going on since before she moved in, but she has seen it grow in the last seven years.

“It sort of feels like a bit of a block party, when it’s happening. Safety on the street I really don’t think is an issue, because cars certainly can’t go fast. I mean, people are going along with their children to get candy, and they’re really just enjoying that carnival kind of feeling.”

Homes are not required to participate in the decorating. The ones that do, put in a great deal of effort. There are scenes ranging from familiar kids characters and smiling pumpkins, to the more garish and horrifying side of Halloween. For the kids, the candy is worth the scare.

“I’m sitting outside the whole time, we’re literally throwing candy at bags, there’s 10 or 15 kids in front of me at any given time, it’s not, I don’t have time to go in and out of the house,” explained Navratil.

Navratil says that for those who decorate, it’s all about seeing the kids and families having fun and enjoying Halloween. For that reason, the boulevard will host an accessible Halloween on October 20th, an alternative for children with disabilities and their families to go trick or treating without barriers.

“It is necessary to have something separate, and it is necessary and a good thing to do that because you could see the look on the parents’ faces. They looked kind of happy, but kind of tentative. Is this going to go well? Is this interaction going to go well? Are they going to feel ok, are they going to enjoy themselves? And then seeing the kids being able to have as much fun as all children should on Halloween is really meaningful.”

It takes a lot of candy to treat all the tricksters that come through the neighborhood on Halloween night. Over three thousand children visited the boo-levard last year, and more are expected this year.

The Summerside business network has partnered with the residents to host a candy drop-off, if you plan on touring the spooky sites before noon on October 31st, you can drop off wrapped candies to the beach club on Grande Boulevard.