Witches Return To Gray Gables October 14
Gray Gables residents beware: a coven of witches will be on the loose on the evening of Saturday, October 14.
These witches are nothing to be worried about though—they will be walking for charity as part of the Gray Gables Gals’ annual Witches Walk. And per the organization’s president, Janine Aversing, the event has a strict good-energy-only policy.
“We want the good energy from the witches,” she said.
There are three ladies behind the walk that make up Gray Gables Gals, which incorporated as a nonprofit last year. Ms. Aversing serves as president, Carol Spinale is treasurer and Ronda D. Jones Tobey is the organization’s secretary. The Witches Walk started as an unofficial neighborhood thing that more or less just happened one year to raise some money for charity.
By the following fall, the three ladies were looking to grow both the walk and their fundraising efforts. Now heading into their second official Witches Walk, the group has more than tripled the event’s attendance from that first impromptu walk, and it is only continuing to grow.
“We try to do something different each year, so it’s just not so monotonous,” Ms. Aversing said, noting that this year’s walk includes a surprise for participants that she was unwilling to disclose. “People do like the walk; they like getting dressed up and walking as a group, so it draws attention.”
This year the walk will again benefit Kind Hearts For Kids, a Bourne-based nonprofit dedicated to helping children and teenagers living in foster, adoptive and kinship care. The organization’s founder, Nicole Mitchell, has been instrumental in helping elevate both the walk and the nonprofit behind it, the Gals said.
“She throws a lot of people our way,” Ms. Aversing said. “She looks forward to this event.”
Although the walk is to benefit youngsters, the event itself is only for those ages 21 and older—which the Gals said is to ensure that the night is full of well-deserved, adults-only fun.
“Kids have enough; you know what I mean?” Ms. Spinale joked. “That’s why we’re doing this: for the adults.”
This year’s walk route will be the same as the last and will take place under a new moon. The witches will depart from Gray Gables beach at 5 PM and follow a two-mile route through the neighborhood. There will be “brew stations’’ along the way with complimentary refreshments, snacks and fun photo opportunities. Participants will also receive a gift and have the chance to buy Witches Walk long-sleeved T-shirts or charm bracelets at the walk.
The walk will conclude at the Aptucxet VFW on Shore Road for a reception with catered food by Avocados in Pocasset and a cash bar provided by the VFW. The reception will also have live music, 30 raffle prizes and a signature Witches Brew cocktail.
“The good thing about Gray Gables Gals is we try to focus on Bourne and supporting Bourne,” Ms. Jones Tobey said. “Even with the food, we try to support local businesses.”
Last year’s walk had 90 witches in attendance from all over the state and even a few from out of state. The result was a $3,000 donation to Kind Hearts For Kids. The group hopes the turnout is even bigger this year.
“They come from Plymouth, they come from Sandwich, they come from Wareham,” Ms. Aversing said. “I don’t know if we’ll get ‘em from Salem, but we’ll try.”
The witch theme has been a huge attraction to a surprisingly large number of people, the women agreed. While most of the participants do not partake in the practice of witchcraft, some do, and they come eager and ready to share what they know with their fellow witches.
“People are all just in such a great mood,” Ms. Spinale said. “You’ve got the beach right there, and the sand and the water, and everybody’s dressed up. There is so much energy.”
Registration costs $30; getting registered ahead of the walk on October 14 is strongly encouraged. There are three options to register: via Venmo @graygablesgalsinc; mailing a check to Gray Gables Gals, Inc., PO Box 3011, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532; or through Eventbrite under “Gray Gables Gals, Inc. Witches Walk.” Last-minute walkers will have the option to register in person at Gray Gables Beach on the day of the walk, beginning at 4:30 PM.
For more information, the Gals can be found on Facebook under Gray Gables Gals Witches Walk.