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Ghosts and goblins abounded at last year's Boys and Girls Club haunted house, held in Ironhorse Park. This year's haunted house will be set up in the old RCMP building on Edmonton Trail and is sure to frighten visitors with its end-of-the-world theme.

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Haunted house set to scare even the most fearless

Airdrie residents hoping to get into the spirit of Halloween will soon have the opportunity to interact with zombies and outbreak patients.

Staff and volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club of Airdrie (BGC) are setting up a haunted house, which will run Oct. 19 to 29 in the old RCMP building on Edmonton Trail and this year’s event is sure to frighten even the most fearless.

“I guarantee, you will not be disappointed,” said Denisa Sanness, executive director of the BGC. “It is going to be absolutely awesome and I guarantee you will be scared.”

This year’s haunted house, a large-scale theatrical production involving more than 80 volunteers and numerous business and community sponsors, is called Air Scare. The theme of the haunted house is the end of the world.

“We are building it on the whole Mayan (prediction) of the end of the world,” said Sanness. “Airdrie had an outbreak and the dead are arising and the last standing safe house in the community is the old RCMP building. People are entering the safe house, so they need to be determined that they are not infected. Inside the safe house you are going to have people that are in full quarantine and zombies.”

Organizers will be using the old cells and visitors will be taken through the haunted house in groups of six. The tours, which will take about nine minutes, will be fully narrated and the haunted house will use high-tech equipment, according to Sanness. There will also be outdoor entertainment and Nathan’s Famous will be on hand every night offering hot dogs and beverages.

“The location is great,” said Sanness. “Between the smoke and sound, it is going to be creepy.”

The haunted house will be open to visitors ages to seven and older on Oct. 19, 20, 26, 27 and 29 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and on Oct. 21 and 28 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Children ages seven to nine must be accompanied by an adult.

The haunted house will cater to children ages five to seven on Oct. 21 and 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. Kids younger than seven won’t be admitted to the evening events.

The BGC has been putting on its annual open house for more than a decade, but this year, organizers are planning something bigger. The concept for this year’s haunted house was motivated by the Boys and Girls Club of Red Deer’s annual event, which has become a major attraction in the region, said Sanness.

She added the Airdrie club would like to see its haunted house also become an Alberta attraction.

“Our previous haunted house have always been great, now we are turning it up,” said Sanness, adding that the BGC Halloween activity is expected to attract about 15,000 visitors.

Tickets for the haunted house are $6 or $20 for a family of four. All proceeds will go to support programs at the BGC. Fast-pass tickets, which will allow attendees to skip the line, are available at the BGC’s Centre location (in the Ron Ebbesen Arena) for $8.

Parking will be available onsite and at the Legion’s north parking lot, located on Allen Street. Visitors are being asked to not park along the highway.

Sanness encourages businesses and residents to get involved.

“We are at a crossroads right now and we are just about to go from good to great,” said Sanness. “It’s an opportunity for (the community) to get behind the BGC and make this a huge success. It’s about supporting the kids.”