Chris Hunsley
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Aug 08/05) - Trick or treat? That's right, merry Christmas and happy Valentine's Day too. No, time is not spinning out of control, it's Holidaypallooza in Inuvik and the kids got a year's worth of holidays in a single week.

"I'm going to be the Grim Reaper because it's scary," said Rebecca Baxter as she helped fashion a haunted house at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex, Thursday.

The 11-year-old and a dozen of her young cronies spent the morning dressing up and creating gross and frightful exhibits to freak and thrill junior campers as part of the Halloween creep-fest.

A junior scientist placed bags of eyeballs and liver with flour and glue as floor mats, leaving them for the six to eight-year-olds to walk over in a darkened room full of screaming monsters and aliens ready to pounce on their next victims.

Bowls of intestines and undefinable body parts waited for curious fingers.

Counsellors put on the holiday fiesta every year as part of the summer's lineup of fun-filled events.

"Each week we have a different theme," said Thomas Male, a first-year counsellor of the camp which runs July 4 to Aug. 19.

Last week, the program emulated the TV series Survivor with a camp-out and gross food eating contest.

We fed them Jello with coconut, chocolate chips, ranch dressing and gummy worms, said Male. "It was pretty gross."

Next week is dedicated to mad science followed by a week of celebrating young super stars.

Counsellors try to offer a bit of education along with the fun, showing bear safety videos and taking the kids to a plot at the local greenhouse. As for the festive celebrations last week, by the screams, smiles and costumes, the fun was such a hit it's sure to continue for years to come.

"It's cool and scary," said Marlissa Brown.