Haunted Trails at Alameda full of fright, family fun
Screams and giggles alike were heard from the woods of Alameda Park during the family-friendly Haunted Trails event Saturday, Oct. 21.
Some of those laughs were from the 17 members of Butler High School’s JROTC, who volunteered to be scarers on the trail.
Trip McCaslin, a junior, said he had some experience in scare acting, and was enjoying every minute of it.
“It’s pretty fun, the kids get a good scare,” he said. “A couple of people told me ‘Hey, make sure you scare my kid.’”
Trip’s costume consisted of ghillie suit pants, some mud-like face paint, and a helmet. He said he typically hides low to the ground to frighten people along the trail.
“There’s a lot of brush you can lay down in ... anywhere on the trail is really good,” he said.
Lance Welliver, parks and recreation director, said the half-mile trail took about 20 minutes to walk, and was meant for anyone between the ages of 5 and 55.
“It’s not bloody, it’s not gory ... I think it’s just another opportunity to do something for (Butler) residents,” he said.
Trip said JROTC members help with several other events at the park, including the Monster Mile and Santa’s Workshop.
The student volunteers were allowed to construct their own costumes for Haunted Trails, as long as they were family-friendly, according to Welliver. Scarers were attired all sorts of ways: with masks, with makeup, and even blow-up chicken suits.
Micah Potts, a junior, said he had not participated in the event before. He was also wearing a ghillie suit to blend in with the brush.
“I scare everyone when I get the opportunity ... I lunge out,” he said.
Micah and Trip positioned themselves on either side of the trail, scaring people in succession.
“Usually, (people) jump and scream, but then they laugh,” Trip said. “They always jump back really far.”
Trail guides lit the way for groups as frightening sounds were created by the scare actors. Often, you could hear people scream, then laugh, on opposite ends of the walk.
Owen Miller, 12, of Cranberry Township, walked the haunted wood with his grandparents and two siblings. He said he was anxious for the end of the trail.
“I liked hearing the chainsaw in the distance,” he said. “We thought it was going to be a big jump scare.”
What most thought was the sound of a chainsaw was actually made by a masked actor with a backpack leaf blower at the end of the trail. This caused many to chuckle, including Dan and Madi Toomey of Butler.
“I thought it was a chainsaw!” Dan laughed.
Madi said she was most frightened by one actor who was positioned in a tree along the trail.
“There was a guy in a tree with a flashing light,” she said. “It really disoriented you.”
For Trip, the laughs made by people walking the trail were what made it worth it.
“The best part is seeing how much fun they’re having,” he said.
