Halloween comes once a year, but work on Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds is in progress for months.
Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds, a non-profit group, is a joint effort between Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary and Kitsap Haunted Productions. The design, building, staffing, and teardown are a 100 percent volunteer effort and the net proceeds go back to the community and to charities designated by the Kingston-NK Rotary.
Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds is open every Friday and Saturday evening in October as well as Nov. 1. You’ll see Kingston Rotarians and Kingston high school students from the Interact Club dressed as actors, working in the ticket booths, or otherwise assisting with the event.
There are more than 120 volunteers that run “the haunt,” many of them student actors.
The “full scare” experience runs from 6-11 p.m. on Oct. 10 and 11, 17 and 18, 24 and 25, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Admission is $12, but a canned food donation will get you $1 off the admission price. There is also a VIP admission of $20, which is good for two times through the haunt plus front-of-the-line privileges. For more details on dates and time, contact www.kitsaphauntedfairgrounds.com.
Rotarians began their preparation efforts back in March when Kingston Rotary’s past president Meisha Rouser, Jessica Larson, and Scott Larson traveled to the Transworld Haunt Convention in St. Louis, Missouri. James and Stephanie Tubberville from Kitsap Haunted Productions joined them. The convention is the largest trade show of its kind in the world. Each year the haunt industry gathers to network, get new ideas, purchase products, and attend seminars on how to run a safe and successful haunt.
What is “the haunt” all about? The haunt experience takes place in 22,000-square-feet of indoor space spanning three buildings at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. The entire haunt, ticket booth, and waiting area are indoors. There are no age recommendations and generally leave the decision of age up to the parents. We have seen kids around the age of 10 go through without a problem, and adults in the very next group refuse to enter. Our “lights on” time, which runs from 5-6 p.m. each day of the haunt, is specifically for young children, but parental guidance is advised.
Concessions are available outside “the haunt,” and students from the Gallery School of Music and Dance will perform to keep the undead entertained while waiting in line. If you have purchased your ticket before the ticket window closes you will be able to take the tour.
Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds has an all-new theme with new animatronics and special effects each year. Kitsap Haunted Productions chose to do a New Orleans theme, since New Orleans is thought to be the most haunted city in America. At “the haunt” you will be able to take a self-guided tour through the cemetery with above ground tombs, and experience “Cities of the Dead” — a crossroads between the worlds of the living and the dead. Demonic clowns run rampant, and you may encounter ghosts of some of the more notorious New Orleans serial killers, or perhaps those who practiced Voodoo. The most famous and powerful Voodoo spirit, Baron Samedi, may be found roaming the grounds as well.
Please join Kingston Rotarians at one of our meeting to learn more about our projects and to take part in shaping our community. Meetings are held every Wednesday at noon at the Paul Nichols North Kitsap Fire & Rescue Station on Miller Bay Road in Kingston. Gather at 11:45 a.m. to socialize before the lunch and business meeting.
For more information on joining Rotary, contact Nancy Martin at nanjmartin@mac.com.
