Fall brings cooler weather and a very special fundraiser to the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary Club.
Now that the summer beer gardens at Kingston’s Concerts on the Cove are over, it’s time for Rotarians to start working on the Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds.
The haunted happenings will be held every Friday and Saturday night in October.
The “haunt” began with a group of volunteer families who had previously done garage haunts. They were contacted by Kitsap Parks and Recreation and, from 2002 to 2012, these two groups produced Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds.
In early 2013, the haunt group approached Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary to propose a partnership between organizations to more directly benefit the local community and other Rotarian efforts.
The haunt group formed the non-profit company Kitsap Haunted Productions, and signed an agreement with the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary to promote and produce the annual event. Kitsap Haunted Productions and the Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary are excited about the future, with the intention of growing the event every year.
The design, building, staffing and tear-down are a 100 percent volunteer effort and the net proceeds go back to the community and to charities designated by Kingston-North Kitsap Rotary.
What is “the haunt” all about? The haunt experience takes place in 22,000 square feet of indoor space, spanning three buildings on the fairgrounds. The entire haunt, ticket booth, and waiting area are indoors. Concessions are also available.
We have 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 while 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, although some of the scenes may still be disturbing for youngsters.
There is a new theme or story to “the haunt” each year. Kitsap Haunted Productions reinvests a portion of the proceeds to bring new animatronics and special effects, so that each year the haunt is different.
It’s been said that New Orleans, with its unique history, is the “most haunted city in America.” Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds takes a distinctly New Orleans flavor this October. Take a self-guided tour through our cemetery with above-ground tombs, and experience our “Cities of the Dead,” a crossroad between the worlds of the living and the dead. Demonic clowns will run rampant, and you may encounter ghosts of some of the more notorious New Orleans serial killers. The famous Voodoo spirit, Baron Samedi, may be found roaming the grounds as well.
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, and Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Admission is $12, but a canned food donation will get you $1 off the admission price. VIP admission of $20 is good for two times through the haunt, plus front-of-line privileges. For more details on dates and time, go to www.kitsaphauntedfairgrounds.com.
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 every Wednesday at noon at the North Kitsap Fire and 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 me at nanjmartin@mac.com.
