Halloween Happenings
Green Canyon Corn Maze
The corn maze, located at 2850 N 200 E, is something different that anyone can have fun doing, said Nancy Jensen. Jensen and her husband Ron raise the corn, choose the maze theme and design the maze. Jensen said in many previous years the maze has been centered on a Halloween theme, but this year the theme is a little different.
“This year we have a jungle theme and the maze is a tiger and a snake,” she said. “Overall, we have been doing this for 11 years.”
Not only does the Green Canyon Corn Maze offer a walk-through, but it includes several activities as well. Jensen said hidden throughout the maze is “corny cash.” If individuals find the cash in the maze, they can redeem it for a prize.
Jensen also said individuals can stick their heads through a large Tarzan and Jane cut-out for a fun photo opportunity. Every Friday and Saturday night throughout October the corn maze becomes haunted as well.
“This becomes a fun tradition for people,” Jensen said. “This is something different than just going to a movie and dinner on the weekend. It is a fun way to get to know someone else. You have to talk to someone as you figure out this puzzle.”
Jensen said she encourages students to come out to the corn maze and take a break from their textbooks.
“I know for me, if I sit and study all the time than I don’t do as well. There has to be a balance somewhere. This is a really fun place to hang out. People laughing their heads off at the maze is what we like to see the most,” she said.
Green Canyon Corn Maze is open Monday through Thursday from 5-11 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. to midnight and Saturday from 2 p.m. to midnight. The Green Canyon Corn Maze’s season ends Oct. 30.
– courtnie.packer@aggiemail.usu.edu
The Pumpkin Walk
Animation will come to life this year at the annual Pumpkin Walk. Using all the pumpkins, squash and other garden vegetables possible, individuals and groups across the valley are creating displays of any animation favorite, Pumpkin Walk Publicity Chair Gina Worthen said.
The theme this year is “The Magic of Animation.” Worthen said a few of the displays include Pop-Eye, the Little Mermaid, the Lion King and Dr. Seuss.
“We love to bring creatures to life,” Worthen said. “These are our favorite things and are from our heart.”
This is the 27th year for the Pumpkin Walk. Worthen said it was started in 1983 by Wally and Ida Butler on their farm in North Logan. Ida was a school teacher and wanted to do something for children that wasn’t scary for Halloween. The event grew so quickly it was moved to Elkridge Park. Worthen said the Pumpkin Walk committee still tries to capture the feeling of an old farm atmosphere.
“We want to give people the magic that there once was,” she said. “It had such a different atmosphere there.”
The Pumpkin Walk requires hundreds of volunteers from around the valley to make the event happen. Worthen said there is a dedicated Pumpkin Walk Committee, USU students carve pumpkins that light pathways and even teenage boys doing Eagle Projects help by bringing in cornstalks.
“For every pumpkin you will see, there is at least one volunteer behind it,” Worthen said.
Worthen said she is working with a group to create the Dr. Seuss themed display. She said they decided to highlight Horton because they thought it would be fun to build an elephant.
“We like to do things that challenge us,” she said. “We also thought of the Cat in the Hat in the bathtub because we thought it would be fun with the clothing, props, bathtub and details like that.”
Worthen said students of all ages will love what they see at the Pumpkin Walk.
“It is free, fun and magical,” she said. “We don’t do anything scary, so get a date and come. Come take a look at these scenes and see some amazing creative abilities. This is a fun and charming tradition that once you have gone, you become addicted.”
The Pumpkin Walk, located at Elkridge Park at 2500 N 1050 E, runs Oct. 21-26 from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. and is closed Sunday. However, if individuals come at night, 2500 North is shut down due to the large amount of traffic. Individuals are encouraged to park at Greenville Elementary, located at 2500 N 400 E, and ride the free shuttle bus to and from the park.
– courtnie.packer@aggiemail.usu.edu
Lagoon: Frightmares
Every October, Lagoon turns a once-cheery playland into a haunted place of fear. Pavilions for guests are turned into haunted houses, and creepy actors roam the walkways.
According to Melisa Hemond of Lagoon’s marketing department, it all began with one show and one haunted house back in 1995. Lagoon’s Frightmares has been expanding for 15 years, adding more shows and spooks each year.
With more haunted attractions comes more staff. Hemond says that most of the Lagoon-A-Beach workers become actors once the beach closes, and this year they hired 120 people to fill more spots.
Hemond says weather plays a big role in the numbers that attend Frightmares, as October is normally a fickle month for sun.
“We’ve been loving this year though, because the weather has been so great!” she said.
Brennan Mcewan, an employee at Lagoon, said he thinks that Frightmares is a neat experience for people of all ages.
“Having to (entertain) adults and little kids at the same time, I think they do a pretty good job,” he said.
Frightmares has four haunted houses just for October, with a new one that was added this year. The attractions are rated for varying scariness with a spider rating. The more spiders, the scarier, and the two newest haunted houses are rated as the creepiest.
Lagoon also includes a straw maze for kids, and numerous shows to entertain the guests. Master Hypnotist Shawn Paulsen gives two to three shows a night, hypnotizing anyone willing.
Vampire Awakening and Monster Classics are two music and dance performances to entertain teens as well as children. Each show is preceded by a 10-minute show done by the Hackenslash Demonstration team, a group of preformers using chainsaw dances set to music.
Lagoon’s Frightmares will be open through Oct. 30, when they close for the 2010 season. They are open on weekends from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
– kellyn.neumann@aggiemail.usu.edu
Deads End Yard Haunt
Tom Wentz and his family do not just decorate a warehouse yard to haunt their customers. They use their talents to hand-make each figure to create a story behind every set.
For 13 years, the Deads End Yard Haunt has entertained Cache Valley with its museum-like sets of horror. It began in the yard of Wentz’s old house on Canyon Road, a house that was wiped out in last year’s canal landslide.
The haunt used to bring thousands of customers each year as a service to the community. Since the Wentz family no longer owns a home, they thought they would not be able to do the yard haunt this fall. A man offered them the warehouse space they are now using, but in order to keep up with the cost of the warehouse, they now have to charge a fee to view the attraction.
“Our family, we don’t care about the money, we just want to have fun,” Wentz said.
Wentz, his wife, Linda and their nine children enjoy using their creativity to make unique figures as well as ones modeled from their favorite horror movies. A connoisseur of horror, Wentz owns more than 1,000 horror films, a collection he began in the 1950s. Some of the characters may be taken from the movies, but each has the Wentz family touch to make it unique.
“You have to use your imagination,” Wentz said.
Many of the sets and figures have a story to go with them, and each customer gets a tour that may include different tales each time. From the legends of the Bog People in Britain to the true Wentz family story of the young girl in the cemetery everyone thought was a ghost, the experience is different for every customer.
The Deads End Yard Haunt has many themed rooms and sets, as well as individual figures scattered around the yard. An eight-minute documentary about the haunt is also included, complete with movie theater popcorn.
Since the attraction has no moving parts, people of all ages can come and not be frightened.
“We always keep it so no one is scared,” Wentz said. “We’ve always tried to do it like a museum of horror with special effects.”
The Deads End Yard Haunt will be open until Oct. 31 every day except Sundays, with an exception for Halloween. They are open from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 6:30 to 11 p.m. Friday through Saturday. The admission is $7 for ages 12 and up, and $4 for ages 5 to 11, with children under 5 admitted free. They are located at 200 S Main, just past JoAnn’s on the left side of Main St.
– kellyn.neumann@aggiemail.usu.edu
ACTORS AT LAGOON, dress up and roam the walkways to frighten guests. KELLYN NEUMANN photo
LAGOON DECORATES THE PARK for Frightmares with pumpkins, ghosts, gravestones and corn stalks to entertain guests. KELLYN NEUMANN photo