Dancing witches take over Blind River

SAULT STE. MARIE -

A group of witches in Blind River have brewed up a new concoction for residents, with an eye on getting them moving and grooving.

The annual "Witches Dance" has returned for its fifth year in the town, with this year's event coinciding alongside its fall fair.

"It really started off with a YouTube video, where we found a group of dancing women in Germany," said Kristy Blanchet, organizer. "I turned to the girls and they said they thought we could do this."

Only nine witches joined in the dance through its first year, which saw them dance down the sidewalk of Woodward Avenue, the town's main street.

"Everybody was like 'what's going on?' And then we were like, okay, let's go down the street with a stop sign. We stopped traffic and then it kind of escalated after that," said Shari Gosselin, who has taken part in the event every year.

The witches dance was one of the few events not to get cancelled by COVID-19 last year.

It's also grown tremendously since it first began, according to Blanchet.

"This year I asked the town council to close down the main street," she said. "We were able to set up games, crafts, vendors, everything has really turned out great."

Blanchet said roughly 30 witches took part in the event this year, but is looking for more in the future.