One of Orillia’s most popular Halloween-decorated houses is bringing back its extravagant projection show this weekend.
Derick Lehmann is the organizer of the Trunk or Treat event at ODAS Park. He also spends almost every weekend in October projecting a “Disney World”-type show onto his Dale Drive family home.
“I’ve always done something to set up a little scare for the kids,” Lehmann said. “I thought this would be really cool to set up and do on weekends.”
When Lehmann introduced the projection mapping display last October, the response was overwhelming.
“It was quite successful,” he said. “We had cars lined up right around the corner on some nights.”
More than 300 people visited Dale Drive each weekend of the show last year.
“I knew there were a lot of people who enjoyed Halloween,” he said. “I was still surprised to see that many people and some were coming from Ottawa, North Bay, Sudbury, and Niagara Falls.”
This year, visitors will see characters from movies like Ghostbusters, The Haunted Mansion, Beetlejuice, Stranger Things and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
“I want to keep it fresh each year,” Lehmann said. “If people are interested in coming back, they will see some of the old stuff that they enjoyed last year and they will see something new.”
He likes to watch the reactions of people who are seeing it for the first time.
“I get a kick out of creating community events and bringing people together,” he said. “If people enjoy it, that’s enjoyment enough for me.”
The show begins every Friday and Saturday (unless there is heavy rain) in October at dusk. Visitors can tune into the synchronized music with the show by turning the dial to 88.1 FM on the radio. As a Thanksgiving treat, the show will also occur tonight (Sunday, Oct. 9).
The show is free to watch, but Lehmann encourages people to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Sharing Place Food Centre.
