The man pictured wearing a Ku Klux Klan uniform, who led another man in blackface around on a noose, won first prize at a Halloween costume competition at the Campbellford Legion in Ontario. The president of the legion issued an apology after receiving hundreds of complaints. Photograph by: Provided , Mark Andrade

Mark Andrade sat down for a beer at the Campbellford, Ont., Legion Hall on Saturday night just in time for the Halloween costume parade, and couldn't believe what he saw.

"A guy in a Ku Klux Klan uniform, Confederate flag attached to the back, with a hood on, was holding a rope. And on the end of the rope was a guy in blackface, and the rope was really a noose around his neck," he said.

"You know when you look at something and you can't believe what you see? That was my reaction."

Andrade, who owns Rubbs Barbecue Bistro just down the street from the Legion in the eastern Ontario town, said he left right away.

But soon after, people who came to his restaurant from the Legion told him the pair had won first prize in the costume competition, he said.

Joy Herrington, the Legion branch's president, issued a formal apology the next day.

But Andrade said he's shocked the Legion executive let them in the door.

"Their members, their executive members, are the ones that organized this party, are the ones that hosted this party, are the ones that allowed those people to come in and then judged them to win first prize," he said.

"For them to say that this is not the opinion of our members, that's wrong. Apparently, it is the opinion of some of their members."

Andrade said Herrington told him she received hundreds of complaints the next day.

But, as far as Andrade knows, no one spoke up to object at the time.

A woman who picked up the phone at the Campbellford Legion Tuesday evening declined to be interviewed.

"I have no comment," she said before hanging up.

Andrade, who is black, said this is the first incident of racism he's experienced in Campbellford, a town 50 kilometres northwest of Belleville, in the 12 years he's lived there.

But despite the apology, he said he'll never set foot in the Legion again.

"If they thought that was in good humour and funny enough to win a prize, that's disgusting. If that's their opinion, and they think there's nothing wrong with lynching black people, that's totally disgusting.

"Either way, there's nothing right about what happened."