STERLING — Something bewitching is brewing in town, and it will be on spooktacular display at the upcoming Spooky Walk.
A band of friendly witches is returning to Sterling to perform at the popular annual event on Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. After the costumed kiddos trick or treat from the fire station all the way down Main Street and onto the town common, Chrissy Brady and her broom-wielding crew will dance and invite people to take pictures with them.
The Village Green Preschool-sponsored occasion will feature the witches, a food truck, and several free activities including face painting. The school decided to forgo the traditional indoor party that required a ticket and is bringing the party outdoors, free to all, rain or shine.
Brady said the mystical group she belongs to originated as the Sand Witches of New England in 2020.
“The name was derived from all of us dressed up as witches dancing on the beach,” she explained. “In the last year, the group has grown so much that we have broken down into different chapters from different areas and by state.”
Brady estimates they will have about 15 to 20 women dancing at the Spooky Walk, and that the performers will consist of a mixture of witches from three different groups: the original group, the Crow and Cauldon dancers of Connecticut, and the Wicked Witches of the Northwoods from Gardner.
Twice a year they all come together to perform at King Richard’s Faire in Carver and “open the dance field to anyone who would like to participate and join in with us.”
“We all support each other’s chapters and try to dance at each group’s events,” Brady said. “Since I’ve been dancing and doing these performances, I have met such amazing, beautiful, talented and like-minded women.”
Brady has been a member of the Sand Witches since the beginning. They perform a lot, sometimes along with members of the other groups, and, as you can imagine, in the fall and around Halloween they are in high demand.
“We try to get together often, especially during the October season, which is our busiest season,” she said. “We do perform other holiday events as well, and have been adding new dances to our routines.”
This is their second year in a row dancing for the trick-or-treaters in Sterling. Brady said they are thrilled to be back, as last year they “had so much fun seeing all the looks on the children’s faces as we walked through the crowd cackling before we danced.”
“This year we are honored to do it again and are thankful that we were invited back,” she said, adding that they are “offering picture time for those who would like to have pictures taken with our group in between our two performances.”
Brady is also participating in a free, family friendly evening of spooky stories on Oct. 20 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the 1835 Town Hall on Main Street. People are welcome to register to present a story during the Sterling Cultural Council-sponsored event by contacting Judy Doherty at SterlingCulturalCouncil@gmail.com.
Brady has “gathered other witches to join in on the fun” and is looking forward to sharing stories with them.
“It’s really all about supporting each other while getting to dress up like witches and perform the German Wolfshager Hexenbrut ‘Shake Your Bacon’ song and just having fun,” she said of the Friday event.
She is inviting the witches to gather at her home on Main Street prior to the Spooky Walk for some refreshments and “cackling and being witchy” around a large cauldron as the trick-or-treaters walk by. Then they will proceed to the town common for their performances.
This will be the second time this fall that a coven of friendly witches has met up at Brady’s home.
“This year we kicked off the season with a gathering of the witches at my house,” she said. “It was potluck, we also made jack-o’-lanterns, had a witch switch, which is like a Yankee swap, and we flash mobbed the fire station in downtown Sterling with our ‘Shake Your Bacon’ dance! When we get together, we practice routines, sometimes we will craft, and other times we just cackle about life.”
Up next for the witches is a spectacular double whammy on Oct. 28: the Plainfield Fall Fest at 2 p.m. and the NorWITCH Halloween Strut at 5 p.m. in Norwich, Connecticut.
Brady said when people ask her how they can go about joining and dancing with them, she tells them: “It’s just as simple as finding a chapter close to you and showing up for practices and events.”
For more information on the Spooky Walk, follow the event page on Facebook (facebook.com/events/290788097085421/?post_id=299596929537871&acontext).
