08 November 1, 2008 - ObserverXtra

The Observer | Saturday, November 01, 2008 NEWS | 3
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10 Church St., Elmira
“A lot of the stuff, making it on your own makes it a lot more special.”
Yo Wang
THE RIGHT SETTING Elmira’s Yo Wang has been busy for weeks turning his family’s new home – the former Bristow’s Inn on Arthur Street – into a haunted house for halloween.
Home, spooky home
MARC MIQUEL HELSEN
In 148 years Bristow’s Inn on Arthur
Street in Elmira has served as a stately
home, an apartment building and,
most recently, a bed-and-breakfast.
Now it’s a single-family home, albeit
a family with nine kids – the space is
certainly welcomed.
On Halloween, the heritage building,
bought recently by the Wang family,
adds another use to its storied history:
scare factory for local trick-or-treaters.
The sinister master of ceremonies?
Sixteen-year-old EDSS student Yo
Wang.
“I remember when I was eight or nine
we were like, ‘oh, we have to go to this
house, it looks so scary, so, we would
probably end up trick-or-treating with
half an hour of going to the scarier
houses,” said a reminiscent Wang,
surrounded by zombies, tombstones,
and jack-o-lanterns strewn across his
W L W I C
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CATHY DIAMOND
PHARMACIST
photo | MARC MIQUEL hELSEN
Having recently moved into the former Bristow Inn, Elmira family enters into the spirit of Halloween
Arthur Street home.
Intrigued by those Halloween experiences
as a youngster, five years ago
Wang started creating his own – to the
pleasure of his neighbours.
“Where we lived in Kitchener, kids
came from all over the neighbourhood
to come see this display,” said Wang’s
mom, Jodie.
For the past five years, Wang, who on
Halloween night enlists the services
of his siblings, family and friends,
has been converting his yard into an
interactive display. With all that practice,
this year’s venture – which will
include plenty of props, ambient music,
animation, fog, floodlights and an
interactive haunted house – looks to be
the best so far.
“It’s something that you try to grow
as you go, but also it’s fun trying to
make things out of nothing. A lot of
the stuff, making it on your own makes
it a lot more special,” said Wang, who
has spent many hours adding to and
improving his annual project.
“Too many,” quipped his dad, David,
noting that his son has already punched
in anywhere from 40 to 50 hours.
“As soon as it was October, he was on
the go.”
This year, Wang will have the added
bonus of building his display on a property
that, of itself, creates a special ambience.
“For Halloween it’ll definitely have
that haunted house look to it,” said
Jodie, noting that the high, second floor
balconies and windows are also part of
the stage.
“Having that Victorian-style house
definitely enhances the mood of it.”
Built in 1860, the property on which
the home was built first belonged to Edward
Bristow, the town’s first settler.
The house was built by the following
owner and in the 1960s was “chopped
up” and converted into a series of small
apartments. By 1989, a new owner had
gutted the inside of the building and
restored its “Victorian-era grandeur”
converting it into a bed and breakfast,
said Jodie.
In 1998, the home was bought by new
owners and it continued in the same
vein.
It wasn’t until last August, when David
and Jodie Wang bought the place,
that it reassumed its initial role.
Having moved into the new home last
summer, the Wangs are more than excited
about the abode, and not just for
Halloween. For a family that includes
nine children ages four to 16, the large
building offers ample space. It’s also
close to the arena, where the kids play
hockey and enjoy watching the Sugar
Kings.
“It’s just perfect; there’s nothing that
we need to renovate … there’s nothing
to fix,” said Jodie of the cherished Elmira
landmark.
“We feel in one way the house is ours,
but in a way the house isn’t ours – in a
way, the house belongs to everyone in
Elmira because I do believe it’s the longest
standing house. It’s really part of
history.”
SAMER MIKHAIL
PHARMACIST /OWNER
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