| Haunted house provides scary fun |
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| Wednesday, 14 October 2009 | |
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Staff writer The haunting is set to begin at the Anoka County Fairgrounds. And prepare yourself to be scared and surprised around every corner and in each room of the Anoka Knights of Columbus’ annual haunted house. The organization has been scaring up Halloween fun for the past 22 years and this year is no different. Each year, thousands of visitors make their way through the haunted house located in a pole barn in the northwest corner of the Anoka County Fairgrounds. A team of volunteers dedicate two full weekends to transform the otherwise vacant building into the spookiest house in Anoka County. The house is redesigned each year, according to Ray Dalzell, co-chairman of the Knights of Columbus haunted house. Weeks before the haunted house opens, organizers gather and plan out the rooms and haunted elements of the house. “It can be a totally different place (each year),” Dalzell said. Two weeks before the start of the haunted house’s run, volunteers gather wood and other items stored at a nearby storage unit and create the season’s unique haunted house. Once the house’s rooms are constructed, volunteers add paint and other finishing touches to make for the perfect Halloween experience. Volunteers from the Coon Rapids High School drama department don costumes and play the part of house’s haunted and scary residents. “They get so excited,” Dalzell said about the high schoolers who volunteer at the haunted house. Each Halloween season, hundreds of visitors can be found waiting in line to enter the haunted house. Wait times increase, according to Dalzell, later in the evening and the closer it gets to Halloween. Groups of five or six travel the haunted hallways and rooms together, anticipating the next shocking surprise. Volunteers follow each group to ensure safety and to alert ticket takers as to when the next group can enter. Proceeds from the annual event benefit the Knights of Columbus and the Anoka High School drama department. Food donations are also being collected to benefit the Anoka County Brotherhood Council Food Shelf. Admission is discounted by $2 for a non-perishable food donation. Plan to be scared Anoka Knights of Columbus’ 22nd annual haunted house is open Oct. 15 and 16 from 7 to 9 p.m., Oct. 17 from 7 to 10 p.m., Oct. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m., Oct. 23 and 24 from 7 to 10 p.m., Oct. 25 from 7 to 9 p.m., Oct. 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Oct. 31 and 31 from 6 to 10 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $7 for children 11 and younger. Visitors wearing an Anoka Halloween button get a $1 discount. There are also price discounts for groups of 25 or more on the first two weekends. The haunted house is located at the Anoka County Fairgrounds, located near the Highway 10 and Ferry Street exit in Anoka. For more information, call 763-757-1241 or visit www.anokahauntedhouse.org . Kelly Johnson is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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