FORT ASSINIBOINE - Over 300 kids and kids at heart went through the Fort Assiniboine Fire Department's haunted house in just two days on Oct. 26 and Halloween.
That is not bad, considering the Woodlands County hamlet's population, according to the Statistics Canada census in 2021, was 158 people.
And Fort Assiniboine fire chief Devin Williams hopes there will be many more in future years.
"We've been talking about adding a third night to give people more options," he said. "Because it is going to continue."
Admission is free; however, the fire department invites people to make a donation to the Barrhead and District Family Community Support Services food bank, which also serves the Fort Assiniboine and Goose Lake areas.
Williams said the haunted house started modestly three years ago using surplus items he and some other firefighters had from their own haunted houses.
"Three of us had our own mini-haunted houses in the hamlet, and then we all moved out of town, but we found we were no longer getting a lot of trick-or-treaters," he said, adding residents in the hamlet also noticed a drop off of kids on Halloween which they in part to the missing haunted houses. "So, we got together and said we should start one at our training grounds."
Williams admitted that the first year was "pretty sad.
"It was a low budget because we had so much room and only the decorations we had from our combined previous haunted houses, but everyone still had a good time, and we all agreed to do it again," he said, adding the second year was a much-improved effort.
But Williams said, this year, they outdid themselves.
Part of the reason for the improvement is that the fire department received a welcomed financial boost from the Fort Assiniboine Royal Canadian Legion, businesses, and private individuals in the community, which allowed them to expand the haunted house and add more "spooky features."
This year's haunted house spanned multiple levels using five sea cans. Firefighters also enclosed additional outdoor space to create an extra entrance and exit area.
Williams said that, in total, it took firefighters and their spouses three weeks of almost continuous work to transform their training centre into a haunted house.
Williams said people often ask him if the haunted house is "scary".
He tells them the answer is 'yes', adding that some people have been known to become emotional when they tour the house.
"[All the characters] involved in the haunted house are members of the fire department, and they thoroughly enjoy scaring people," he said. "We are very open about it, telling people upfront that everyone brave enough to go in the house will get scared. We leave it to parents to decide."
As for how the fire department plans to top this year's effort and keep the haunted house fresh, Williams said he and other Fort Assiniboine Fire Department members are constantly looking for ideas, attending other haunted houses, and noting what makes them uncomfortable.
For those who do not want to go through the haunted house but still want to participate in the festivities, the fire department also hosts a less-scary gaming area with activities such as skull toss/basketball and mini-golf.
Williams also noted that the fire department invites trick-or-treaters to pop by to get their treat of a candy bar, chips, and pop.
"We've gotten nothing but positive feedback, and it's so exciting to see the kids and everyone when they come out of the haunted house," he said. "Since we've been doing this, the people from the hamlet have also seen an increase in kids coming to their houses on Halloween, which is nice to see, instead of them leaving the community."
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
