Repairing the Monsters
In 2017, the non-profit Sensational Elora acquired the works of a local artist named Tim Murton. His lantern-monster sculptures hang throughout the village, on lamp posts, buildings and streets of Elora. The event has grown to a month of Halloween celebration called Monster Month.
Every year these monsters need to be repaired.
In this video, we'll be introduced to "Nessy" a monster that guards the Wellington County Museum and Katie, the Program Assistant making the monster's repairs. 🎃🕸🦇
Over 80 Monsters hang in Elora during October.
In its 20th year, Monster Month has over 80 lantern monsters of various shapes and sizes hanging from trees and utility poles throughout the village. The festival runs each year in October. People come from across Ontario to visit the monsters, some of which are over 7 feet tall! 😈
Halloween is a big deal in Centre Wellington.
Halloween is a big deal in Centre Wellington. For 31 days, the community comes alive with activities for all ages. There are ghost walk tours, magic shows, spooky events, and a Monster March parade. The parade happens on the second last Saturday of October. Any zombie or princess can participate. The parade begins at 6:30 pm!
The area is well known for its picturesque gorge.
Elora is a small village in Southern Ontario located within Centre Wellington, a township approximately one hour west of Toronto. The small town is located on a particularly stunning gorge along the Grand River.
Throughout October each year, these monsters are on display and have become a memorable part of the Centre Wellington community's renowned tourism and festivals.
Monsters are made of paper mache.
The lantern monsters are made from paper, glue and a wireframe, also known as Papier Mache. It goes back hundreds of years and has been used to make things like masks, models and more.
It's an ancient craft that's easy to learn and inexpensive to create.
Tim Murton worked for over 20 years in the film industry. He created the first few monsters to deal with the stress and anxiety of the movie industry. Read more about Tim's first few years with the monsters here.
The biggest challenge with repairing the Monsters
The biggest challenge is that paper mache is not a permanent solution. Paper mache will break and crumble after being outside for a month. The monster repairing begins in the summer months. 🛠
Repairing the Monsters takes volunteers from the community working together from summer through fall. Sensational Elora is always seeking volunteers to help. Be sure to visit monstermonth.ca/
Watch "Nessy" get repaired.
"She does sometimes get eaten by squirrels." - Katie Clarke, Program Assistant, Wellington County Museum & Archives
Watch Katie Clarke works on "Nessy," the largest monster in the Monster Month collection. She sprawls across the front lawn of the Wellington County Museum & Archives in Aboyne, Ontario.
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Are you planning a visit to Monster Month this year? Let us know your questions in the comments below.
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