There are strange sounds coming from Waltz Park in Edon, located on 10 Frank Waltz Drive; the same noises that have been heard there for the last couple years in the weeks leading up to Halloween. There are stories of a little girl named Sarah who went into the Haunted Forest and hasn’t come out. There’s been insidious laughter, howling wind, and some even say they hear a little girl crying, trying to wake from her nightmare.
But these are just rumors; Waltz Park is a nice place full of a nice troop of Boy Scouts, troop 74, that want everyone to come have a good time, maybe get scared a little. They will be open October 19-20, 26-27, and November 3 for any souls brave enough to wander through their Haunted Forest which features haunts such as The Vortex, Clown Town, and one can even step inside little Emily’s Nightmare.
If being scared isn’t what some people are looking for, then they can come on out on October 27 for the matinee. This is a trick or treat experience aimed at young children and their families, and even on haunt nights, there are plenty of activities, such as face painting and temporary tattoos for children too young for the Haunted Forest and any adult who may ‘change their mind’ at the last second. These are available by appointment before each show, call 810-444-4613 or go to youniquebodyart.com, to schedule an appointment. Appointments are on a first come first serve basis.
The Haunted Forest is the major fund raising event of the year for Troop 74. Scouts and their families handle all of the set up from grooming the trail to building the haunts, and there are local volunteers who help with haunt nights. On any given haunt night, there are anywhere from 25 to 45 people working the forest. The cost to put on the Haunted Forest is around $2,000 and most of that is self-funded though some local businesses do help with some of the cost. There are some sponsors such as the Feed Mill which sponsored the prizes for a new attraction this year, the Zombie Shoot and YouNique Body art will be helping with the make-up.
Last year, Troop 74 saw nearly 1,000 visitors to their Haunted Forest, and they’d like to build upon that number this year and past experience says they will since they’ve been getting more people every year since it started.
For all the work that goes into it, it’s not expensive to experience the Haunted Forest. Admission is only $8.00, and visitors can get a dollar off if they bring a canned good which the Scouts collect for the local food bank. The Matinee on October 27 is only $4.00. The Forest is operational from 7 to 10:30 or until the last customer is served on nights it is open.
So, if you feel like being scared or don’t think you can be and want to test your theory, come on out to the Haunted Forest in Edon. There are plenty of adventures waiting in the woods; everything from trying to find little Sara, shooting some zombies, or getting a fun temporary tattoo to scare your parents. It promises to be a fun time and is in service to a good cause.