Flesh-eating leprechauns and rabid half-skinned rabbits are but two of the ghoulish attractions visitors will encounter at Henderson Elementary School’s Haunted House this year.
“This year’s theme is all about the holidays, so we go month by month,” said Darren Nivens, who is organizing the Halloween event for the first time. “We’re not going to let anything slide and this is not for children.”
The haunting has been a tradition since 2004 and Nivens hopes it is as scary as years past when PAC member Dale Lawson and family headed the volunteer cast.
“Three years ago someone called the cops and told them to go to Henderson because ‘they’re terrorizing people down there,’” he said. “To the crew it was complimentary because they paid for us to scare them.”
Niven said it takes between 40 to 50 people to put on the event. “It’s all volunteer. All the materials are donated and all the items for the silent auction.”
Going through the roster it becomes clear that this a serious undertaking. Display crews. Terror crews. Concession. Ushers to control the volume of traffic.
“You don’t want everyone walking through at the same time,” said Nivens. “It’s not as effective. You want to make sure that people are properly scared.”
People will be able to have haunted grad photos taken with “a couple of ghouls,” and have their fingernails painted with pumpkins and spiders.
All the money raised will go toward paying for field trips for Henderson students.
Henderson Haunted House’s doors will creak open at 6:30 pm on Friday, October 26 and Saturday, October 27 and “stay open until all those with the courage to enter have gone.”
Tickets are $5 a head.
