By Rick Palsgrove
Southeast Editor
These frightening ghouls are part of the frights that await you at the Groveport Blacklick Haunted Park.
The Groveport Blacklick Haunted Park will again be filled with ghouls, monsters, and other assorted things that go bump in the night to give visitors a Halloween fright.
“We want to give the best scare we can as well as do something good with it,” said one of the Blacklick Haunted Park organizers Bruce Smith.
The city of Groveport Blacklick Haunted Park will be held Oct. 26 and 27 from 7:30-11 p.m. at Groveport Blacklick Park, located at the east end of Blacklick Street. Cost is $5 per person. Proceeds go to Groveport Madison Human Needs and the Groveport Food Pantry. The event is very scary so parental discretion is advised. It is sponsored by the city of Groveport and Groveport residents.
Smith said last year’s event raised $3,300 for Groveport Madison Human Needs and the Groveport Food Pantry.
“We’d love to see that doubled this year,” said Smith. “The city has been kind to us in helping to get this organized.”
Three friends – Bruce Smith, Scott Clinger, and Larry Geis – who pride themselves on their Halloween fright skills and share a love of all things Halloween, came up with the idea for the haunted park last year as a way to raise money for Groveport Madison Human Needs and the Groveport Food Pantry while also providing an outlet for frightening fun.
Groveport Blacklick Haunted Park features a large and expanded enclosed area full of relentlessly scary monsters, fearsome scenes, and eerie music. In addition, it’s also an open air scare with monsters popping out of trees and bushes.
“We had a good response last year,” said Smith. “It was fun to watch people’s reactions. Some people didn’t make it all they way through. They said, ‘No way,” and turned around. Some took off running. We have some surprises planned for this year.”
Smith said new touches this year include a torture chamber and a mad doctor. Plus several of the corridors in the enclosure will be different from last year.
“The mad doctor is going to ramp things up for us,” said Smith.
Smith said it will take he and his fellow organizers, along with some other friends and family members, a few days to set up the Blacklick Haunted Park.
“Our friends and family are giving us their weekend so we couldn’t ask for more from them,” said Smith.
Blacklick Park, is located at the eastern end of Blacklick Street in Groveport. Parking is available in the large, nearby public parking lot located near Ace Hardware.
For information call (614) 836-3333.
