Things are spooky at the fairgrounds

Halloween lovers have two more nights to get their scares in at the Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds.

Halloween lovers have two more nights to get their scares in at the Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds.

Tonight and tomorrow guests can stop by the fairgrounds to meet face-to-face with creepy witches, twisted jesters and chainsaw-wielding construction workers gone mad.

Tonight is actually the best night to come for less crowds, according to Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds Volunteer Coordinator Vickie Josal.

“Halloween is typically a lot slower,” she said. Last year the site hosted 669 guests, a number the Kitsap Haunted Fairgrounds organization hopes to surpass this year.

For the milder version of the haunted house, lights will be on for the kiddos from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. For the full scare, guests are encouraged to come between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

“Everyone let’s out a big whoop,” Josal said of lights-out time. “That’s what they live for.”

The 22,000 square-foot haunted house spans three buildings, and it is filled with actors of all ages to give guests a good fright.

Some actors end up coming in at last minute when they come to drop their kids off and hear the group is short-handed. That’s how Nancy Schmidt got suckered in to playing a cemetery ghost one recent Saturday night.

“I decided oh, hell, why not,” she said as she adjusted her white wig. “They’re a family here. We’re all united. It’s a positive atmosphere. This is really great.”

Guests start out totally discombobulated in the first building where strobe lights flicker as they try to make their way to the exit. By the time guests enter into the most terrifying part of the haunt, 3D glasses makes the floors and walls feel as though its moving, causing a bit of a disoriented feeling.

Graveyards, clown-infested rooms and bagged up body parts add to the very-real scenery if thrill seekers can make it past the 3D rooms. And rounding a dark corner usually doesn’t mean the end is near; there’s usually more surprises that will make even the most brave adult jump a few inches off the ground.

Second-year actor Colleen Lytle loves this time of year for two reasons: her birthday is just two days before her favorite holiday.

“I love Halloween. I absolutely love it,” she said.

She also enjoys watching the terrified groups that come through her part of the haunt where she stands as a jester.

“Reactions are good. Scaring is good,” she said. “Scaring the guys is even better. Girls are easy; guys are a little more difficult.”

For more information, visit www.kitsaphauntedfairgrounds.com.

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