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Haunted attraction full of thrills, chills
By Cheryl Scott
Daily News staff writer
A group of children screamed in fear and excitement and ran by a glow-in-the-dark hand that reached out to grab them, past Frankenstein undergoing surgery, next to monsters lurking in the shadows, over floorboards that vibrated from the drill of a jackhammer beneath them and through narrow passageways, with only the flicker of a few strobe lights to light their way.
Even when they had exited the Haunted Barn in South Beloit and stepped into the dim lighting around the haunted attraction, the children ran in circles to avoid a clown who had chased them out of the barn.
“Why is it that everyone is afraid of clowns?” asked Rich Barclay, owner of the Haunted Barn.
Although some ran in terror from the clown, 11-year-old Paul Larson of Beloit said his favorite part of the haunted house was when the clown kept appearing before him in a mirror. Adding surprises behind a mirror, such as the clown, was a new feature in the Haunted Barn this year, Barclay said.
“It was a lot better than last year,” noted Austin Stauffacher of Beloit.
Ten-year-old Dakota Hitchcock also approved of the Haunted Barn, saying it was “fun and scary.”
The part that stood out to Dakota was when the ghouls kept reaching out for him.
Unlike Dakota, his twin sister, Cheyanne Hitchcock, said the Haunted Barn was scary and “none of it” was her favorite part.
“I screamed the whole time,” Cheyanne said.
Patrons such as Cheyanne, who got scared by the Haunted Barn, shouldn't feel bad for being afraid because the property might actually be haunted.
Barclay said there have been times when he thought he heard children playing in the barn, but the barn's alarm system did not go off and no one was there when Barclay looked.
The same incidents have happened in Barclay's house.
He recalled one night when his wife and he sat straight up in their bed at 2 a.m. because they thought they heard children playing in their living room. When Barclay got up to investigate, the sounds stopped and he did not see anyone there.
Barclay said he even noticed strange occurrences while on the job. When hiding under wooden planks to scare patrons, he sometimes hears footsteps approaching and gets ready to scare people. Yet there are times when nobody walks around the corner, he said.
Haunted Hayride
Like the Haunted Barn, the Haunted Hayride evoked responses of both fright and laughter from the group of about 30 passengers, as they rode into the dark field shadowed by trees and bushes. Passengers rode past skeletons, graves, fires and cobwebs, while werewolves and other monsters crept out near the vehicle.
“I'm not scared,” said one young girl, as she braced herself for the next ghoul.
Shortly after her affirmation, she shrieked when a masked monster with a chainsaw jumped out of the bushes and echoes of the chainsaw blared through the smoky night air.
“I guess I shouldn't have said that,” she told a fellow passenger on the hayride.
While some screamed and cowered away from ghouls on the Haunted Hayride, others yelled at the monsters in an attempt to scare them first.
“I think I scared more people than got scared,” said Aaron Blazier of Beloit, whose favorite part of the ride was trying to startle the Haunted Hayride workers.
This year's hayride featured more ghouls, or members of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department, and “a lot of good props,” Barclay said.
Future plans
Barclay said he will donate profits from the haunted attractions to the Barbara Olson Center of Hope and the South Beloit Boys and Girls Club.
Haunted Barn employees can also contribute their paychecks to charity, Barclay said. Each night, workers have the option of either making $20 for themselves or earning $25 that Barclay will put toward a charity.
Next year, Barclay said he hopes to add a haunted house to the site, which would make the location one of the largest haunted attractions in Illinois.
Barclay said Halloween is a growing business that people spend more money on each year, so he has considered other possibilities as well, such as holding a Halloween parade in South Beloit.
“I'd love to get South Beloit more pumped up,” Barclay said.
Even when they had exited the Haunted Barn in South Beloit and stepped into the dim lighting around the haunted attraction, the children ran in circles to avoid a clown who had chased them out of the barn.
“Why is it that everyone is afraid of clowns?” asked Rich Barclay, owner of the Haunted Barn.
Although some ran in terror from the clown, 11-year-old Paul Larson of Beloit said his favorite part of the haunted house was when the clown kept appearing before him in a mirror. Adding surprises behind a mirror, such as the clown, was a new feature in the Haunted Barn this year, Barclay said.
“It was a lot better than last year,” noted Austin Stauffacher of Beloit.
Ten-year-old Dakota Hitchcock also approved of the Haunted Barn, saying it was “fun and scary.”
The part that stood out to Dakota was when the ghouls kept reaching out for him.
Unlike Dakota, his twin sister, Cheyanne Hitchcock, said the Haunted Barn was scary and “none of it” was her favorite part.
“I screamed the whole time,” Cheyanne said.
Patrons such as Cheyanne, who got scared by the Haunted Barn, shouldn't feel bad for being afraid because the property might actually be haunted.
Barclay said there have been times when he thought he heard children playing in the barn, but the barn's alarm system did not go off and no one was there when Barclay looked.
The same incidents have happened in Barclay's house.
He recalled one night when his wife and he sat straight up in their bed at 2 a.m. because they thought they heard children playing in their living room. When Barclay got up to investigate, the sounds stopped and he did not see anyone there.
Barclay said he even noticed strange occurrences while on the job. When hiding under wooden planks to scare patrons, he sometimes hears footsteps approaching and gets ready to scare people. Yet there are times when nobody walks around the corner, he said.
Haunted Hayride
Like the Haunted Barn, the Haunted Hayride evoked responses of both fright and laughter from the group of about 30 passengers, as they rode into the dark field shadowed by trees and bushes. Passengers rode past skeletons, graves, fires and cobwebs, while werewolves and other monsters crept out near the vehicle.
“I'm not scared,” said one young girl, as she braced herself for the next ghoul.
Shortly after her affirmation, she shrieked when a masked monster with a chainsaw jumped out of the bushes and echoes of the chainsaw blared through the smoky night air.
“I guess I shouldn't have said that,” she told a fellow passenger on the hayride.
While some screamed and cowered away from ghouls on the Haunted Hayride, others yelled at the monsters in an attempt to scare them first.
“I think I scared more people than got scared,” said Aaron Blazier of Beloit, whose favorite part of the ride was trying to startle the Haunted Hayride workers.
This year's hayride featured more ghouls, or members of the Harlem-Roscoe Fire Department, and “a lot of good props,” Barclay said.
Future plans
Barclay said he will donate profits from the haunted attractions to the Barbara Olson Center of Hope and the South Beloit Boys and Girls Club.
Haunted Barn employees can also contribute their paychecks to charity, Barclay said. Each night, workers have the option of either making $20 for themselves or earning $25 that Barclay will put toward a charity.
Next year, Barclay said he hopes to add a haunted house to the site, which would make the location one of the largest haunted attractions in Illinois.
Barclay said Halloween is a growing business that people spend more money on each year, so he has considered other possibilities as well, such as holding a Halloween parade in South Beloit.
“I'd love to get South Beloit more pumped up,” Barclay said.
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