Witches Walk Through Gray Gables Set For October 22
Calling all witches! Do you wish you had somewhere fun to wear that great witch hat you got in Salem last year? Are you fond of nighttime walks and all things spooky? If so, then the Gray Gables Gals’ Annual Witches Walk might be your cup of cauldron-brewed tea.
Tomorrow evening, Saturday, October 22, scores of witches—led by the Gals—will embark from Gray Gables Beach in Bourne for an adults-only two-mile stroll through the neighborhoods of Gray Gables, ending up at the Lobster Trap, where a reception will be held. All proceeds from the Witches Walk will be donated to the Bourne-based nonprofit Kind Hearts For Kids.
The Gray Gables Gals, which was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit earlier this year, is made up of three members: Janine Aversing, president; Carol Spinale, treasurer; and Ronda D. Jones Tobey, secretary. The three ladies are all neighbors and, after having talked about holding something akin to a Witches Walk for years, decided to throw caution to the wind and plan an impromptu Witches Walk in 2021.
“I just said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Ms. Aversing said. “Minimal planning, it was just the neighborhood, and we had a really good time doing it.”
Naturally, inspiration for the event came from the mecca of all things witchy: Salem, Massachusetts, where similar iterations of a Witches Walk can be found. About 25 walkers joined the Gals on their first Witches Walk, but even that small taste of community engagement left them wanting more.
“We decided we wanted to make it bigger,” Ms. Aversing said. “We wanted it to grow.…We wanted to be able to give our charities a decent amount of money, so we wanted more people involved.”
“We all love the holiday in general,” Ms. Spinale said. “[Janine and I] live right next to each other, and she’s got tons of Halloween decorations. It just gets you in the spirit. When somebody’s that excited about something, it’s contagious.”
So, the women put their heads together after the inaugural Witches Walk—profits from which were donated to a local battered women’s shelter—and decided that the best way to help the local charities that they are passionate about was to become a nonprofit themselves, and use that 501(c)(3) status to host events, choose a charity, and donate proceeds from the event directly to that charity.
“The focus is really on women and children, so we are Gray Gables Gals,” Ms. Spinale said. “For this example, Kind Hearts For Kids. Maybe it’s women, maybe it’s grandparents, but it’s still the same thing: it’s helping families.”
The Gals are selective when it comes to choosing a beneficiary organization. They want to make sure that the funds raised are going to local Bourne organizations that really, truly need the money.
“That’s one thing we’re really adamant about, that it stays in Bourne,” Ms. Aversing said. “You’re going to know where your money is going…the more people we talk to and the more we get into this, we’re realizing that there are a lot of people that need help. Just because it’s the Cape, everyone thinks it’s ritzy, it’s a vacation spot. But there are people that live here that need help.”
Ms. Jones Tobey said that it is part of the Gray Gables Gals’ mission to empower individuals and nonprofit organizations that are working for local causes to help people in the community. Rather than giving the money to already heavily funded and well-known organizations, the Gray Gables Gals are looking to fund smaller organizations that really need the help.
“We’d like to give that power to them, so they can be successful as well,” she said.
“That’s really what our mission is: to identify charities that do good work where the money is going directly [to them],” Ms. Spinale said. “This will help Nicole [Mitchell, founder of Kind Hearts For Kids] reach more children and teens in need.”
And despite each having full-time jobs, the Gray Gables Gals have managed to strike a balance that allows them to focus on something they are passionate about: giving back to the community. Ms. Jones Tobey said the company she works for—Nonotuck Resource Associates, where she is a clinician—has been supportive in allotting its employees dedicated time not only to take care of themselves, but also to help out their communities.
“We have fun together,” Ms. Spinale added. “I think if you love what you do, it is not work.”
Doing an impromptu walk last year proved to be helpful for the Gray Gables Gals, who said it gave them a baseline and informed their planning process for this year’s Witches Walk. To help spread the word, the ladies created a Facebook group for the event that is open for anyone to join. Currently, the page boasts 215 members and features near-daily posts from Ms. Aversing, who hopes to keep the walk front and center inpeople’s minds this October. The group also appeared at a Bourne Community Engagement Committee meeting last month; they were met with unanimous support from committee members.
“There’s going to be a lot of diversity from all different areas,” Ms. Aversing said. “Last year it was just Gray Gables, but this year there are going to be people coming from all over.”
“I think it’s interesting [because] people love Halloween,” Ms. Spinale said, “and as an adult, you’re like, ‘What can we do for Halloween?’ This is the perfect thing: you’re on the beach and it’s going to be a beautiful day, you’re all dressed up, you have lanterns, you’re walking along the water, and we have brew stations along the way. I think it’s an easy sell, people get excited about that.”
The walking route will be broken up by the “brew stations,” where walkers will be able to stop, have a drink, socialize and mingle with neighbors who have come out to watch. The Gray Gables Gals are in the process of alerting neighbors along the walking route and encouraging them, if they can’t do the walk itself, to come out and mingle with them as they pass through the neighborhoods.
“I think we’re going to get a good turnout of people that will just show up on the day of the event and want to walk,” Ms. Spinale said.
“We can’t believe how it’s growing,” Ms. Aversing added. “It’s what we wanted. Hopefully year to year it’ll keep getting bigger.”
As of this writing, 47 people had signed up for the Witches Walk. Registration is $25 and can be paid via Venmo, check or cash. There will be a registration table set up at the start of the walk for last-minute registrants. The Witches Walk is for adults only, and participants are invited to dress up in their greatest witches regalia, should they choose, although witchy attire is not mandatory. Glow sticks, lanterns and flashlights are encouraged.
The walking route is two miles long and will depart at 5 PM from Gray Gables Beach. Parking is available at Gray Gables Beach, with overflow at the VFW on Shore Road. Bourne police have confirmed that they will not ticket cars parked at the beach without a sticker. During the walk, witches will be accompanied by safety escorts for security purposes.
A reception will be held at the end of the walking route at the Lobster Trap at 290 Shore Road. The event’s sponsors—including Rockland Trust, Walmart, Mad Cutter Salon, The Chart Room and the Bourne Community Engagement Committee—will be in attendance. Appetizers will be provided while participants enjoy live music and donated raffle prizes. In case of bad weather, the Witches Walk rain date is Sunday, October 23.