Stratford’s Skeletons of Vivian Line protest rainy start to their 10th season

The Skeletons of Vivian Line were back on Melissa McKerlie’s front lawn in Stratford this week protesting the rainy weather at the start of their 10th year being featured in fun and unique themed displays in the leadup to Halloween.

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Yet while the weather wasn’t ideal, the skeletons and McKerlie – the woman behind the annual series of Halloween displays since she started decorating her front lawn with just five plastic skeletons in 2014 – are excited to share what the 10th season of Skeletons of Vivian Line has in store.

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“I can’t believe how the skeletons have just ballooned from three skeletons showing up at our front door 10 years ago with a suitcase as a surprise for my son … to what it’s grown into now with all these skeleton fans all over the world, ” McKerlie said. “People follow us on the website, on social media. They can sign up for emails to follow what the skeletons are doing each day. …At the beginning, the skeletons didn’t even have any clothing. We still operate on a bare-bones budget, but I think what’s changed is the community involvement and the support.

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“When I started, I had to explain to everyone what the skeletons were, and now I can just tell people I have the Skeletons of Vivian Line and they’re just like, ‘Oh, how can we help you out?’ …And all these kids in elementary and high school have grown up with the Skeletons of Vivian Line. It’s part of their Halloween and so amazing see all the families come back every year and see the changes in the kids, watching them grow up and then seeing them submit ideas of what they want the skeletons to do.”

Since 2014, McKerlie has designed and created more than 200 different displays based on her own ideas and those sent to her by skeleton fans young and old from both close to home and around the world. While the displays have traditionally changed from one day to the next in the leadup to Halloween each year, this year McKerlie says she has a number of more-complex ideas featuring a roster that has grown to 18 different skeletons. She intends to leave each display up for as few as two days to as long as four.

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This year’s Halloween display, for example, will go up on Oct. 28 and remain in place until after Halloween. This weekend, kids and their families will be welcome to trick or treat at Skeletons of Vivian Line from 11 am to 7 pm Oct. 28 and 29, thanks to a sponsorship by Dairy Farmers of Ontario.

The skeletons and McKerlie also hope to reach a big milestone in their ongoing efforts to help raise money in support of Operation Smile Canada and the work it does to provide surgeries for children born with cleft palates and other facial deformities in countries around the world. Since the Skeletons of Vivian Line began collecting donations for Operation Smile Canada in 2018, McKerlie says they have raised more than $80,000. This year, she hopes to bring that total up to $100,000.

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“The skeletons are making people laugh but, in turn, we’re actually giving a child who is unable to smile the gift of a smile,” McKerlie said. “If we hit that $100,000 mark, we will have changed the lives of over 400 kids. That’s just amazing.”

Fans of the skeletons’ antics can help Skeletons of Vivian Line reach its goal by donating to Operation Smile Canada, either online at skeletonsofvivianline.com or in person at any of the displays for the remainder of this month. Proceeds from the purchase of Skeletons of Vivian Line merchandise, which this year includes limited-edition hoodies, buttons and pins, will also go to support Operation Smile Canada.

To keep up with the Skeletons of Vivian Line, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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