The annual Scare with the Mayor event returns to Ile des Chenes this Halloween, marking its sixth year of spooky fun. Ritchot Mayor Chris Ewen says he is thrilled to host it once again. “It's a free haunted house for anyone that wants to participate, that wants to walk through, that wants to have a little scare, that wants to get a treat at the end of the maze. And it's just for kids of all ages. It's one of the funnest things that I've been able to do as a mayor, and I love that I can offer it for free for all of Manitobans.” Ewen says the idea came from his lifelong love of Halloween. “That's my little guilty pleasure is that I love scaring people. I love being scared. I usually spend a few days every year at Halloween Horrors in Universal Studios. So, I watch horror movies all of the month of October. Every night I'm watching something. I just watched one last night. I absolutely love fear, and I wanted to bring that passion to the town of Ile des Chene.” He adds that the community has always embraced the Halloween spirit. “It's always busy on the streets. You'll see police cars having to make sure the children are getting from house to house safely. There are so many kids on the roads, and I wanted to add another level to that when I first became mayor.” Ewen says the event was carefully planned with his team to make it something special. “I have a great board and we put together, I think it's the best haunted house that can attend for free in all of Manitoba. And I'm going to be arrogant enough to say it's the best one in Canada.” He says he’s a big fan of horror movies, especially the thrill of a good jump scare. “When someone is walking behind me and then I don't realize it, and then they come and pull me from behind at Universal Studios, I might get close to peeing my pants sometimes, so that's the kind of fear I like.” While Ewen has announced he will not be seeking re-election, this will be his final year hosting the event. However, the haunted house tradition will continue. “It's going to be called the Oak Island Haunted House. I'm relinquishing my duties and handing it over to the community and the board so that they can have this going on as long as it can.” He says strong community support and sponsorships will help keep the event alive. “We have a great team of carpenters and builders, and they have built some pretty wild animatronics this year that are built from scratch on their own, with their own creativity. So that's a huge, huge win for us.” Another popular feature is the hay bale maze. “It is a completely blacked out hay bale maze,” he says. “You cannot see inside of it, and you have no idea when the Mayor is going to jump out and scare your pants off. So, we're very excited for that.” Ewen says the team spends three days setting everything up for Halloween night. The event runs from 5 to 6 p.m. with the “lights-on” version for those who want to see the work without the scares. “That's your chance to come and enjoy it and not feel afraid,” he says. Then, from 6 to 9 p.m., it’s time for the full experience. “It's the full terror walkthrough, all ages, enter at your own risk, obviously. And that's when things get really dark and scary.” Scare with the Mayor takes place at the TC Energy Centre, 1 Rivard Street in Ile des Chenes. “We literally take up that 5,000 square feet and make it into a haunted house.” With files from Carly Koop