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BELFIELD, N.D. — Creepy clowns, a spooky spider lady, body parts and plenty of jump scares are just some of what awaits those who dare enter the haunted house in Belfield. Try not to get lost in the corn maze while you hide from the unsettling beings that lurk about, although canned goods might appease some of the creatures, they won't for all.
Legend has it the “permanent residents” that inhabit the building perished in a fire, so it’s fitting the event is organized by the Belfield Volunteer Fire Department, said Ashley Gross, the department’s secretary.
“The reason we're putting the haunted house on is because we're trying to raise money for a training facility, which will allow us to do haunted houses and the fire department can train and do more activities with the town of Belfield, like birthday parties and stuff like that,” she said. “We're all 100% volunteer. All proceeds go to the fire department.”
Tickets are $20, but if victims bring canned foods, the ghouls will donate it to the food pantry and take $5 off the ticket price.
This is the second year the fire department has put on the haunted house, which is located at 126 Main Street North.
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“We switch everything up and change everything every year,” Gross said.
Barbara Newton, also known as “spider lady,” said she has loved being involved the last two years.
“We’ve done better this year than the last,” she said.
Her daughter, Bekkie Tucker, also volunteers for the event and said it's a great chance to flex their creativity.
“We don't spend a whole bunch of money on like all the fancy props,” Tucker said “We have a few, but we actually dig deep and come up with our own stuff. So it's, you know, authentic.”
Gross said the haunt is meant for all ages. When young children come through, the actors tone down the creepiness.
“Last year, I bet you a quarter of them were no scares,” Dana Gross, a Belfield Volunteer Fire Department member, said. “So you just kind of stand around, hanging around with them.”
Sometimes, kids still get overwhelmed, but the volunteers do their best to keep the nightmares away, Ashley Gross said.
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“If a volunteer makes a kid cry, we normally come out afterwards and like, apologize and talk to them and tell them who we are and stuff like that,” she said.
Many of the volunteer actors are kids from the community.
“We have 15 to 20 kids begging us to put them in the haunted house because they just love it,” Ashley Gross said. “It's kind of the time of year where the town kind of comes together and helps us out.”
The event is held Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Oct. 31, it’s open from 6 p.m to 10 p.m.
