Yellowknife (Oct 22/04) - On Halloween night, many of Yellowknife's young people will be howling it up at the RCMP/DND hangar at the airport.

This is the 34th year for Spook-a-Rama, a Halloween dance for teens.

"It was started to get all of the youth off the streets on Halloween so it would cut down vandalism," said Ron Finnamore, president of the Yellowknife Lions Club.

The dance is for 13- to 18-year-olds.

Every attendee gets a ticket at the door and ticket numbers are drawn every half hour, with some pretty great prizes on the line.

"We give away a lot of electronics, TV sets, boomboxes and CDs," said Finnamore.

"The grand prize is usually a trip for two to Edmonton."

Finnamore said the Lions Club is collecting cash donations to buy those prizes.

He said they prefer cash to objects because people haven't always donated things that suit the tastes of young people.

"We get lots and lots of support," he said.

The Lions Club, the DND, the RCMP and the Elks Lodge are the major sponsors of Spook-a-Rama.

Finnamore said that the dance has served its original purpose.

"According to the RCMP, it has cut down vandalism dramatically on Halloween," he said.

"The kids are generally well-behaved."

Spook-a-Rama attracts between 400 and 800 people each year, depending on the weather.

"It's just a fun atmosphere," said Finnamore.

"It's like a beehive, everybody's milling and queuing."