Something wicked this way comes: Local farms, haunted houses open for fall season
Corn mazes, pumpkin paloozas and haunted thrills abound this spooky season in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties. (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
A large skeleton and other creepy things can be found in a corn maze at Duda蘑菇视频 Farm in Brownsville. (Photo courtesy of Duda蘑菇视频 Farm)
Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park in Uniontown is offering new attractions, including the psychedelic, high-tech 鈥淭wisted Nightmare 3D,鈥� this Halloween season. (Photo courtesy of Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park)
An evil scarecrow and many other creepy things can be found at Duda蘑菇视频 Farm in Brownsville. The farm is offering a haunted maze for the first time this fall season. (Photo courtesy of Duda蘑菇视频 Farm)
Katherine Mansfield
Katherine Mansfield
In this file photo, Tim Jackson demonstrates the popular, hand-crafted duck race activity at Howling Hills. The Hills are alive every weekend through Halloween.
You know it蘑菇视频 fall when the days grow shorter; the air, more crisp, and leaves crunch beneath your feet when you step outside in flannel and boots.
Hayrides, pumpkin picking and haunted houses are on the schedule all autumn long. If you鈥檙e looking to fill the calendar with festive seasonal activities, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties offer a variety of events fun for all ages.
Locally, Allen蘑菇视频 Haunted Hayride will host its first sensory-friendly evening on Saturday.
Andrea Allen, one of the owners of the Smock farm, said they get calls every asking them to accommodate people with disabilities. Last year, employee Brandi Brown had the idea to hold an event for those with sensitivities to flashing lights, loud noises and large crowds. Allen said they worked to make that a reality, with Brown taking a big part in the reservation-only day.
鈥淲hen talking to the families making reservations, every family was beyond thankful,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淲e were both in tears. This is something they鈥檝e never been able to do.鈥�
She said they sold out of tickets, with families coming from as far away as Butler County and Ohio, and plan to do it again next year. Allen added that anyone who may be interested in a reservation can still email or message them on Facebook, in case a spot opens up.
The 43rd season of the Haunted Hayride and Tavern of Terror begins this Friday, and will take place very Friday and Saturday through Oct. 29 with a few Thursdays.
For more information, visit www.allenshayrides.com or call 724-677-2589.
Another new local attraction comes courtesy of Duda蘑菇视频 Farm in Brownsville.
While they鈥檝e hosted pumpkin-picking hayrides for nearly 30 years, this year, they鈥檝e added a haunted corn maze.
The maze is something they鈥檇 wanted to do for years, said co-owner Mark Duda. This year, they brought in Roy White, who has over 20 years of experience creating haunted attractions.
Duda believes the 4-acre maze is one of the biggest in southwestern Pennsylvania with different lighting, special effects and actors throughout.
For those who aren鈥檛 fans of being scared, the farm is still keeping the hayrides and pumpkin picking. The haunted cornfields will be open every Friday and Saturday beginning Sept. 23 to the end of October.
Tickets are $20 per person and entrance to the maze won鈥檛 begin until it蘑菇视频 completely dark.
For updates and additional information, visit the Duda蘑菇视频 Farm Haunted Corn Maze page on Facebook.
Two popular haunted attractions are also in full swing locally.
Entering its 33rd season, Rich蘑菇视频 Fright Farm in Smithfield features state-of-the-art special effects, highly-detailed scenes, custom digital soundtracks, computerized lighting and talented actors. The attraction includes the Hayride of No Return, Frightmare Mansion, The Grounds and Fest-evil Monday. The season runs Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 1, Thursdays through Sundays from Oct. 6-30, and will be open on Halloween, which falls on a Monday.
For more information, call 724-564-7644, email at info@frightfarm.com or visit www.frightfarm.com
In its 19th year, Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park in Uniontown will adding new attractions for the 2022 season including Twisted Nightmare 3-D, KillerKlownsFromOuterSpace, Mutant Paintball experience and Stalker Hollow Corn Field align with other attractions.
The parks also commissioned custom Ultra-Violet-Reactive masks and costumes from a Los Angeles special-effects artists and also hired Pacific Northwest-based artist Dutch Bihary to create custom airbrushed murals that react to the specific lighting used in the attraction.
The park蘑菇视频 opening day was Sept. 9 and will run to Nov. 5.
For more information, visit www.hauntedhillsestate.com.
Other attractions across the region include:
{strong style=鈥漟ont-size: 1.17em;鈥潁Family-friendly fall fun{/strong}
If a scenic hayride that ends with pumpkin picking and corn maze-ing is what you鈥檙e looking for, swing by Trax Farms in Finleyville for the annual Fall Fest, which runs Sept. 24 through Oct. 23.
Hayride reservations are recommended, with a limited number of day-of tickets sold. Along with the tractor ride, pumpkin patch and corn maze, visitors can enjoy live music and food from local food trucks. Trax is hosting Friday hayrides through Halloween weekend. Reservations are required, and include a scenic, 20-minute hayride, three-acre corn maze, petting zoo and picnic games.
To book tickets or learn more about Trax Farms, go to https://traxfarms.com/.
There蘑菇视频 lots of fall fun on the calendar at Bedner蘑菇视频 Farm and Greenhouse in McDonald, like a haybale designing class and pumpkin succulent centerpiece workshop, but parents won鈥檛 want to miss the Pumpkin-Palooza the last four Saturdays of October.
The palooza runs from 10 a.m. to noon or noon to 2 p.m. and includes pumpkin painting and a spooky surprise.
鈥淲e鈥檙e actually turning one of our greenhouses into a haunted house,鈥� said Carolyn Blaine, education and events coordinator. 鈥淚鈥檓 very excited.鈥�
Bedner蘑菇视频 is also hosting a children蘑菇视频 Halloween and costume party Oct. 29, too.
For more information, visit https://www.bednersgreenhouse.com/.
The Spring House in Washington invites you to hop aboard a tractor ride to the farm蘑菇视频 pumpkin patch and corn mazes every Saturday and Sunday beginning Sept. 24.
鈥淲e do have a kiddie corn maze. We cut off half the corn stalk, so it蘑菇视频 shorter,鈥� laughed Kara Blum, store manager. 鈥淔or brave folks, we have the large corn maze.鈥�
Visitors are also invited to pick a pumpkin, speed down the haybale tower tube slides and enjoy old-fashioned games.
Fall activities run from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekend days and come to a close Sunday, Oct. 30. For more information, visit https://springhousemarket.com/.
Triple B Farms in Monongahela offers pick-your-own apples, pumpkins and flowers between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 31.
The farm also invites families to Pop蘑菇视频 Farmyard show every Saturday and Sunday for duck races, games and a singing chicken event. Pop蘑菇视频 Farmyard Fall Fun is a good time for all ages. Reservations are required.
For more on Triple B Farms蘑菇视频 fall fun, visit https://www.triplebfarms.com/index.html.
Last year, Tim and Chris Jackson transformed their Allentown family property into Howling Hills, featuring an eight-acre corn maze cut by Tim himself. Howling Hills has grown to include family-friendly activities like haunted paint ball, duck races and pumpkin picking.
This year, the Jacksons are offering picnic and birthday party rentals; the latter includes a private hayride and lunch or dinner. Concessions are available on-site during business regular hours, noon to 5:30 p.m.
The fun runs weekends through Oct. 31. Flashlight corn mazes run 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. every weekend in October, weather permitting.
Learn more about weekends at Howling Hills online at https://www.hhcornmaze.com/.
Thrills and chills
Haunted attractions like Castle Blood in Monessen and Pittsburgh Zombie Assault in McDonald are must-visits for the bravest of readers.
And, one never can tell if the shivers running down one蘑菇视频 spine are caused by a brisk breeze or passing ghost, but at Demon House in Monongahela, it蘑菇视频 definitely the latter.
鈥淭he Travel Channel was here for a week (in 2018) shooting Portals to Hell,鈥� said Demon House owner Chris Prit. 鈥淲e are not a portal to hell, thank God, but they consider it to be a haunted haunted house.鈥�
Unlike most other haunted attractions, where visitors wait in line to encounter the horrors within, guests to Demon House purchase tickets and then mill about the grounds, chatting around bonfires, enjoying concessions or watching a scary movie at the outdoor theater.
A loud bell grabs folks attention, and when your group is announced, into Demon House you go.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 a more personalized experience,鈥� Prit said. 鈥淵ou rarely 鈥� run into another group.鈥�
Demon House is actor-driven, boasting only three animatronics in the huge space.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 more of a psychological type of show. We really try to mess with your mind more than anything by changing your sense of sight, your sense of sound, your sense of touch,鈥� Prit said.
Every year, Prit and his wife update about five rooms, based on customer feedback. He can鈥檛 say much about this year蘑菇视频 show without giving thrills away, but Prit said this year, Demon House has a new parking lot.
Folks are invited to park at the Monongahela YMCA and take a free shuttle to the haunted grounds.
His advice to visitors?
鈥淲ear closed-toe shoes. We get people breaking flip-flops left and right from running,鈥� Prit laughed.
For more on Demon House, visit https://demonhouse.com/index.html.
Self-guided scares and miscellaneous mischief
Greene County needs no haunted attractions.
鈥淢y co-author (Rosemary Guiley) referred to it as the most haunted county in America,鈥� said Kevin Paul, a Greene County native who literally wrote the book on the area蘑菇视频 paranormal activities.
Paul, co-author of 鈥淗aunted Hills and Hollows: What Lurks in Greene County,鈥� put together a self-guided tour of the area蘑菇视频 spookiest spots, most of which are public and accessible at no charge. If you dare, print out the tour online at https://visitgreene.org/tours/tour-paranormal/ and check as many sites off the list as your heart can take.
One ghost you may encounter on the self-guided tour is Catharine, the wife of Joseph Caldwell, a farmer who lived in Aleppo. On Dec. 29, 1898, Caldwell and his wife finished lunch and went to the barn to build a calf stall.
鈥淲hen they got in the barn, he basically beat her brains out, left and went right over the state line into Marshall County, West Virginia,鈥� said Paul.
There, Caldwell lay on the railroad tracks, and was beheaded by an oncoming train.
鈥淭here was a ghost seen in the area that was believed to have been Catharine,鈥� Paul said. 鈥淚 heard this story from a guy who had witnessed (the ghost) when he was a child. I was never really sure about the story.鈥�
But one day, while visiting the Geneological Society, Paul came across newspaper reports of the murder-suicide.
鈥淭hat was a pretty interesting story,鈥� he said.
Ghosts have also been sighted at the Hartley Inn in Carmichaels and around Phillips Cemetery in Wayne Township 鈥� both stops along the self-guided tour.
For less haunting, but just as eerie, thrills, visit some of the tour stops where Bigfoot reports have surfaced, including Mon View Park in Monongahela. Other strange creatures have been reported from nearly every corner of Greene County.
But the definite must-see on Paul蘑菇视频 self-guided tour?
鈥淚 would gravitate toward the western end of the county,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here蘑菇视频 been some activity reported around Ryerson, and some activity on the Warrior Trail. The Muddy Creek Watershed, there蘑菇视频 a lot of stuff there. Lights in the sky. Balls of light that approach people.鈥�
Nothing feels more fall than a festival, and folks are invited to the annual Fall Craft & Vendor Show Oct. 1 in the Jefferson-Morgan High School gymnasium. Admission is free.
Shop local vendors, try your luck at the basket raffle, and don鈥檛 miss the chicken roast.
For more on the craft show, go to https://www.facebook.com/.events/1657687694608413/.
For more seasonal fun, head down to the Greene County Historical Society Oct. 8 and 9 for the 51st annual Harvest Festival. Along with fall activities, live music, demonstrations and lots of good eats, folks are encouraged to take self-guided tours of the museum, its grounds and the W&W Railroad.
The bravest attendees can step into the dungeon for tarot reading and paranormal equipment demos.
For more on the Harvest Fest, visit https://www.facebook.com/gchsofpa.