October is infamously known as the spookiest time of the year with Halloween lurking around the corner. All types of horror movies, Halloween costumes, and decorations are popping up again just in time for the holiday. However, the scariest event of all this season can only by one thing: a trail at the Beaver County Humane Society?
Everyone loves their pets—unless you don’t which makes you an actual monster—and the Humane Society on Brodhead Road is a safe haven for abandon dogs and cats alike.
Just from volunteering there for the past couple of months, I know that “man’s best friend” is safe at the shelter.
But that safety costs money, and the Humane Society relies on donations and fundraisers to cover operating expenses.
During October, the outside grounds of the shelter transform into a Halloween fanatic’s dream: a half-hour long walk filled with ghouls, zombies, and a variety of other gnarly props.
The trail isn’t just a recent even either: it’s been a local Halloween hotspot for close to 11 years. The event lures in around 100 people a night with around 60 volunteers assisting throughout the month.
Planning this year’s season actually started all the way back in June due to the amount of time it takes to bring new ideas to the table and any potential major changes.
New buildings and themes have been set up on the trail this year such as a haunted church to truly scare the heck out of you.
“My favorite part of the trail, creepy factor wise, has got to be the room with the mannequins. The way they are all dressed in black with the white hockey masks, it’s honestly hard to tell if it’s fake or not,” said volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Nikki Boros.
Some of our own students and faculty help out at the shelter too such as PE teacher Ms. Charlene Horwatt.
“People usually come out of the trail and are very shocked because of how good it is. Some even say that it’s better than Freddy’s, but we can’t get the same attention for some reason. People should really come down just to donate to the shelter. In fact, my family has been helping the shelter through this trail for about a decade,” shared Ms. Horwatt.
If you walk the trail, watch out, there just might be a gym teacher on the loose.
Tickets are $15 with shirts costing $20, and the trail is open Fridays and Saturdays all October. If you’re not running away from any chainsaw murderers, the average time on the trail is around half an hour.
“To an average person, the trail is an 8 out of 10 scare factor wise because it depends on how into haunted houses you are. Honestly there’s a ton stuff to hit the terror marks for kids: people chase after you, actors call out names, so we have to get a good scare in order to remember being here. We actually had people not finish because they were too afraid—plus the fact that it’s quiet and it can get quite dark,” said Boros.
Other area haunted houses and trails can be found on Haunts.com, a website that will tell you all of the nearby spooky attractions, but the Humane Society haunted trail is fear for a good cause.
Don’t worry, all the money earned from the trail directly helps the shelter animals get medicine, food, and opportunities to get adopted. If you want to help the animals even further, all sign up for a volunteer’s tour of the facility or you can be a fellow scarer at next year’s haunted trail.
Speaking of being a scarer, senior Joe Mollura (jokingly?) pointed out that “Being able to help animals in need is the perfect excuse to scare kids, sometimes into crying.”
And that’s not all: October 25 the Pups and Pumpkins takes place at the shelter in Center and a cash raffle also starts soon.
Maybe in the near future you can help out an animal by participating in Day of Giving or if you just want a good scare, head on down to the Beastly Haunted Trail!
