Creepy crawly spiders, pale white ghosts, a chilling fog, running bones and blood-curdling screams — all these horrors will be encountered at the 11th Annual Haunted Palouse in Palouse, Wash.
philip vukelich | rawr
An evil clown makes balloons for children at last years Annual Haunted Palouse. The final two nights of the Haunted Palouse are Oct. 26 and 27.
“Over 4,000 people attended last year, and we had 907 on Saturday,” said Annie Pillers, a member of the Palouse Chamber of Commerce.
The final two nights of the Haunted Palouse are Oct. 26, and Oct. 27, with admission sales open from 7-10 p.m.
Pillers said the event draws people from St. Maries, Idaho to Clarkston, Wash., and entertains ages 12 and above.
Haunted Palouse is a popular event for high school students and even 60-year-olds, but each year university students dominate the ticket sales, she said.
Each admission costs $15 and includes access to the howling Newspaper and Printing Museum, the creaking Old City Fire Station, fortune telling and the Haunted Hay Ride.
Other bone-chilling attractions wait on the eerie streets of Palouse where goblins, witches, ghouls and other terrifying creatures lurk.
“Half the fun is the wait,” Pillers said. “There is all kinds of entertainment going on.”
There are freaky food venders serving hairy scary hamburgers, witch cider and sickly sweet treats as well as many other fun food varieties.
Pillers said the set planning of the big event started about a month ago, and the building and decorating of the town and haunted attractions took about three weeks.
Haunted Palouse proceeds have helped fund the opening of the Community Center in the spring of 2012, which provides a clean, inviting and safe place for the community to have events, private parties or social functions.
The Roy M. Chatters Newspaper and Printing Museum has equipment that was used to print pioneer newspapers, including a two-and-a-quarter ton flatbed press purchased by the Palouse Republic in 1890.
The museum is transformed into a haunted building for the event, and anyone who dares to venture in will find themselves in a world of terror and horror.
All benefits will go toward several non-profit organizations including the Palouse Community Center, the Palouse Arts Council, Little Sprouts Day Care, the Roy M. Chatters Newspaper and Printing Museum, the Palouse Lion’s Club programs and the Garfield Palouse Athletic club (GPAC).
This fundraiser accepts cash only for admission and food. All guests are encouraged to dress warmly and come prepared to be scared.
Emily Vaartstra can be reached at [email protected]