Haunted swamp, festival return to Parks and Rec
Published 9:57 am Tuesday, October 8, 2019
It’s almost time for ghouls and ghosts … and fall fun for the younger children at College Park Gym.
Tickets are already on sale for the annual fall festival at Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation, scheduled for Oct. 18-19 at the gym, 15 Wheeler Ave.
The event covers the main floor as well as the downstairs, Parks Program Director Deborah Jackson said, and can cater to different crowds.
“The whole top floor is kid-friendly,” she said. “It’s like a fall festival.”
Inside the gym will be inflatables, activities, face painting, candy and popcorn, she said.
The scary things, though, lurk downstairs in the haunted house and the haunted swamp.
Thom and Roni Brown have organized the haunted house for several years, and recruit a crew of volunteers to help them, Jackson said.
The first hour each night, beginning around 6:30 p.m., will be Tiny Terror hour, Jackson said. Thouse who may not be ready for the full haunted house experience can go through the house in the light, she said.
“The lights are on so it’s not as scary for them,” she said.
For the ninth year, the pool area will be transformed into a haunted swamp. Those who dare will ride through the swamp in a boat, while divers from New Horizon Scuba in Lexington wait for the unsuspecting victims.
The event has proven to be very popular; last year’s festival attracted about 400 people, she said.
“It’s the kickoff to Halloween,” Jackson said.
Tickets are available at the gym for $6 each through Oct. 17. Tickets at the door are $8 on nights of the event.