Monsters have returned to Elora, taking over the village streets for another year. More than 200 creations made of wire, cheesecloth, paper and glue by local artist Tim Murton can be found throughout the community. “I’ve seen lots of Halloween decorations, but never this particular kind of ones. And I think they’re really beautiful,” said visitor Patrick Stapleton. “They’re really lovely. Yeah, I am very impressed with them.” The monsters are part of what is known as the Twilight Zoo, an installation that has expanded every year since it started. “I love the monsters. We’ve always loved the monsters. It makes kind of Elora a special place. It’s one of those events that is unique to Elora,” said Scott Wylde, monster wrangler and board member of Sensational Elora. “It is a challenge. We start in June, and we work two days a week until September and then in September, almost every day we work.” “It’s a lot of work. Believe me, it’s a lot of work. However, it’s a lot of fun, and it’s rewarding and lovely to see families come out here,” said Arja Lindfors, a board member of Sensational Elora. The figures help celebrate Monster Month in Elora. Events are held all through October and are meant to bring people out in the spirit of the season to celebrate local art. “We’ve been very busy and the monsters are going up. And the idea behind Monster Month is to bring joy to everybody, create a lot of fun, remind people that some of what we do helps raise money for the food bank, be generous and enjoy. It’s meant to bring joy and laughter and a little terror to everybody,” said Barb Lee, chair of Sensational Elora. Sensational Elora now owns most of Murton’s figures and rents them to local businesses. Murton is still the main builder, assisted by volunteer creators. “They don’t look like the cheap decorations you often see in places. They look like thought went into doing them. And, to me, they’ve got some character,” Stapleton said. Organizers said as the number of monsters keeps growing, they have lacked a permanent storage home. Last year they were kept in a barn which resulted in a lot of damage to them, but organizers now have a solution they hope will stick. “Over the past few years, the monsters never really had a permanent home. So, they kind of moved from place to place. Last year they were in a barn that had a lot of damage done to them, and we worked very hard to fundraise and were able to purchase three shipping containers to store the monsters in permanently. And they’re safe in there. And we’re hoping to purchase three more to give us a little bit more space, because Tim does continue to add monsters. So yeah, that’s what we’re working hard to get,” Wylde said. “My last count was 205 monsters, which even shocked Tim that there was that many of them. So, the three containers right now, with all the monsters, it’s packed like sardines. And as you can see, they’re made from paper and gauze, so they get damaged moving in and out. So, with the six containers, I think we’ll have lots of room and put them in and they won’t sustain the damage that they’re currently getting. You know, being packed in too tight.” Monster Month events are happening all through the month. On Saturday, Oct. 17, the Monster March will take place, featuring costumed participants marching through the streets of Elora in celebration of Monster Month.
