Proceeds from haunted house to benefit Henning community

By Chad Koenen

Publisher

A group of Henning area residents will be doing their best to scare the pee out of everyone who dares to go into the former city hall and current food shelf building. But don’t worry, with every scream, tear and frightful minute, the Henning Haunted House crew come one step closer to providing funding to help the greater Henning community.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Henning Haunted House, which began in the current Trinity Center building, before it was moved several years ago to the former city hall. While the haunted house changes each year, each room has a different theme and is designed by a group of volunteers, several new twists will be included in the 10th annual haunted house.

“We are ramping up the scare factor, which we do every year,” said Carly Johnson, who is one of the organizers of the event. “This year we moved a bunch of walls on the inside so there is a lot of new spaces and rooms, but every year the rooms get changed up.”

For example, this year the ticket line to get inside the haunted house will begin outside to give organizers some additional space in the haunted house. There will also be food vendors available each night, like kettle corn and other food and refreshments. Those who purchase a ticket are free to roam around the outside this year as each person will receive a pull off ticket and will no longer be required to stand in line to hold their spot. 

“If you have never been, we are a scary fun house. We want everyone to be able to have a good time. We don’t take it easy on you, but we do also have escape doors all the way through the house in the event you cannot make it all the way through,” said Johnson. “Several of our veteran actors are scattered throughout the house and will be able to escort anyone out to safety.”

The cost to walk through the haunted house is just $5 a time, which is a tribute to one of the organizers of the first haunted house in Henning. The late Kathryn Brockman wanted to make the haunted house affordable for everyone to attend so Johnson said the organizers have kept the cost for the haunted house at that $5 price in her honor. 

Proceeds from the Henning Haunted House will benefit the city park and be put towards installing handicap accessible equipment and creating a handicap friendly environment at the city park, as well as other community events in Henning.

“We scare because we care. We give profits back to the community each year,” said Johnson. 

The haunted house is recommended for people ages 10 and up, but the organizers will not turn anyone away if they are younger than 10. Last year approximately 1,000 people attended the Henning Haunted House. 

The haunted house will be held from October 22-23 and October 29-30 from 7-10 p.m. each night. Food will be available to purchase each night from 6-9 p.m.