Haunted House raises more than $104,000
Published 4:04 pm Friday, December 12, 2008
By Staff
NILES-The Niles Haunted House Scream Park, one of Michiana's most popular autumn attractions, recently completed another successful season at its always changing 44 acre site on Mayflower Road between Niles and Buchanan.
This year, the 29th consecutive year for running the project, raised more than $104,000 for more than 808 area children's organizations, civic groups and other charities.
Proceeds will benefit local school and service organizations including groups such as Boy Scout Troop No. 555, Parchment Girl Scouts, Lakeshore High School Stage Crew and the Make A Wish Foundation. The funds also will be used for two local college scholarships that were established many years ago.
This year the project included six haunted attractions and provided volunteer opportunities both in construction and operation of the Scream Park. Plans are underway for even more frightening additions next year. More than 22,000 hours were volunteered by more than 700 different people before and during its 21 nights of operation to prepare and operate the seasonal attraction.
This year on Oct. 12, another milestone was reached at the Park. When Nathan Breland, of Niles, entered the Haunted House, he became the 1,100,000 interior visitor since attendance records were kept in 1981.
The Scream Park is recognized nationally in the haunted attraction industry. Last year it was one of the featured haunts in a movie entitled "Halloween – The Happy Haunting of America Part II" Also, the Scream Park was the featured haunt in the Feb. 2007 issue of "Haunted Attraction Magazine" a national publication.