Out & About #851 | Halloween Harvest Festival at The Bradley House

Due to my birthday buddy succumbing to a state of homeridden ailment, my Halloweekend would commence on Saturday instead of Friday evening's rollerblading event at Celebration Square.

In light of precipitation woes (and dreadful mall parking conditions), we forgoed Pumpkinville at Sherway Gardens in favour of Halloween Harvest Festival closer to home.

Held at Bradley Museum - or, The Bradley House - the event was a mere twenty-ish minute drive from home, just south of Clarkson station. Albeit close, we had never visited the area in all my years as a Mississauga local. The journey was quite smooth, lined with lofty trees and ample late fall foliage.​

​The Halloween Harvest Festival was a ticketed event spanning two time slots: 12-2PM and 2-4PM. We opted for the latter, and ventured out shortly after lunch. Little did we know that sustenance was complimentary with our ticket purchase.

​On the event day, parking on the Museum grounds was restricted to those demonstrating accessibility needs. All others were to park on the south side of Orr Road, or find street parking on the intersecting Meadow Wood Road. I personally found the sudden sight of parked vehicles alarming, and too great a hazard for traversing vehicles unaware of the parking situation. Spots along Meadow Wood Road were in abundance anyway, and entailed no more than a brisk two-minute walk to The Bradley House.

Source: Google Maps

​At the check-in station, our names were striked off the ticketholder list and black paper wristbands provided. We would also receive a Scavenger Hunt sheet, which showed images of various candies popularized throughout the century. The objective was to locate each of the candies, presented either as stickers or physical additions, on the premises and mark it off on the sheet. Pens were not provided at the check-in station , but could be obtained inside the nearby heritage building, The Anchorage. The white wooden structure would also offer indoor plumbing - fully furnished with toiletries and education content lining the walls - and a small gallery exhibiting children's artwork in honour of Black History.

​Our trip began with the aim of exploration. Live music welcomed us onto the event grounds, while festive décor surrounded us from every angle. Scarecrows, jack-o'-lanterns, and wooden fixtures were edged with a beautiful backdrop of golden leaves. There was even a haystack and pumpkin photo spot for those interested in capturing cozy family moments, or simply a colourful autumnal memory to look back on.​

As we perused the buildings, we began to take note of the obvious candy clues. Some, as we later learned, were more obvious than others.

​Outside of the Bradley Museum, several food stations had been set up. The available assortment spanned game meats such as moose and deer, fried dough known as <i> bannock, and a broth-like item that we did not pursue identification of. Still satiated from lunch, I passed on the meat morsels, which were declared tough and unenjoyable.

​Within the museum itself was an apple fritter station. The staff member had laid out ingredients for the treat in ceramic bowls and containers. A Dutch oven filled with oil was also spotted on the table. For every round of production, the pot would be reinstated to the fireplace such that the oil could be brought to the sufficient cooking temperature. With technology-equipped devices such as InstantPot and Wi-Fi-enabled sous-vide contraptions emerging as progressively prominent fixtures in everyday households, the sight of old-fashioned cooking was not only refreshing but humbling. It reminded me greatly of elementary school field trips to Pioneer Village.

​The Bradley House was discovered to have been built in the 1800s, and on display was a variety of tools and equipment reflective of that time period. A narrow, rickety staircase led up to the second floor of the house. There were a total of three bedrooms: the two smaller rooms had access boarded off, but the largest room served as a landing area and demonstration zone for spinning wool. As groups of costume-clad children excitedly observed the wheel's movements, the elderly lady informed us of the clothing creation process. Two days would be required to "spin" a pair of socks before graduating to the "knitting" stage and optional step of pigmentation. Dyes, as she gestured, were lined up along the top of a nearby cabinet.

​Exiting from the house, we trekked back to the building by which the singing and strumming duo continued to perform. Beyond the open doors of the barn were more food stations. These served to provide hot sustenance like apple cider and baked potatoes with toppings of cheese, onions, sour cream, and more.
Although a tad gritty, we found the apple cider quite enjoyable, being neither too sweet nor too tart.

Games stations were positioned at the west end of the property. We skipped the fortune telling station and dove straight towards a stall manned by a lady adorned in an elaborate Queen of Hearts costume. Spinning a wheel adorned by purple, orange-red, and yellow cobs would lead to corn trivia. Correct answers of True or False would then result in a flavoured popcorn prize from the Toronto Popcorn Company.

"True or False: Corn grows in the wild."
I answered hesitantly, despite having exclusively seen corn being harvested in far-reaching fields. "...False."
"You are correct! Corn no longer grows in the wild because it was domesticated ten thousand years ago."

​Black cherry-flavoured kernels were bestowed upon us at correctly answering the question associated with the purple cob.

Besides this interesting piece of harvesting history, we also learned of Ontario being the primary source of Canadian corn, contributing upwards of 70% to the nation's supply. 

With roughly twenty minutes remaining until 4 PM and no further areas of interest, I began to regard the scavenger hunt  with vigor. Gigantic Hershey's Kisses were found outside the Port Credit Log Cabin, while Sour Patches were pointed out to us by another candy-zealous participant.

​Continuing to search for the remaining candies, we managed to secure hints from the check-in station and prize redemption table. Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme bar and M&Ms were found near the entrance, while Rockets and Reese Cups in the locomotive barn and The Anchorage. At long last, we would redeem our prizes of Crispy Crunch and the last (melted) Reese Cup.

The day's adventures would conclude with a leisurely stroll through crunchy leaves and vibrant fronds. At the property's south end was a 380m trail that connected to Meadow Wood Park.

Entirely linear in nature with little to no difference in grade, the path offered a gorgeous glimpse of nature without the need to undertake a hiking venture. Moreover, temperatures were comfortable and only a bit chilly. Ground conditions were slightly damp but easily walkable.

​Halloween Harvest Festival was an affordable form of local entertainment that simultaneously offered a peek into pioneer lifestyles of the past. We enjoyed the casual, harvest-themed event, particularly for its atmosphere, educational content, and budget-friendly qualities, though I admittedly found it more fitting for children and young families. Nonetheless, it was pleasant - a pleasurable manner to experience seasonal Canadian activities in above-seasonal climate.