Paddle-wielding witches to ditch their broomsticks to cruise Halifax

(SOURCE: The Trail Shop on Facebook)

You’ll want to ditch your broomsticks for paddles to have some spooky fun on the water this weekend.

Local outdoor equipment store The Trail Shop and its sister store Take it Outside are hosting their first witches paddle at Saint Mary’s Boat Club in Halifax on Sunday.

Manager Sarah Thompson tells our newsroom it’s about having fun getting dressed up in a costume and heading outdoors. She says pretty soon it will be too cold for Haligonians to paddle.

She says they were inspired by other cities where this event has been a huge hit.

“Our team is putting on Halifax’s first annual Witches Paddle,” Thompson says. “It has popped up in other cities before. These social paddles have originated in the stand-up paddleboard community as a Halloween event.”

“If you see the silhouette of a witch on a paddleboard, it kind of looks like they’re holding a broomstick,” Thompson tells our newsroom.

She adds the free event is community focused with all ages welcome to come out and have a spooktacular time.

“We as a store have always been here to support the community and getting outside, whether in an athletic way or social way,” Thompson says. “Educating the public is great, but facilitating the fun, you can’t be that. The response we’ve gotten from the community is super positive. We’re excited to make it the first of many.”

Thompson says you can pick your poison by bringing your own paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes to soar across the water. She reminds you to also bring a life jacket.

The store has partnered with St Mary’s Boat Club. You can pick up a rental for free if you don’t have your own boat. Parking is also free.

“We’ve had such outreach from the community, we’ve had different rowing clubs reach out to different individuals,” Thompson explains. “So there’s a lot of support from all angles, and I think there will probably be more in the future. I think it’s really going to bring the community together.”

Witches and wizards will meet at 8:30 a.m. Sunday with the event kicking off at 9 a.m.