Haunted fairgrounds to make dreadful debut

The Hamilton County Fairgrounds will be transformed with the debut of the first annual “Scare at the Fair” Haunted Fairgrounds event.
Partnering together, the Hamilton County Ag Society and Angry Ginger Haunts plan to make buildings and the grounds at the fairgrounds come to life -- or death -- in various ways Oct. 28-30 in Aurora.
“They did it behind Carl (Franklin)’s house last year and we went to that one time,” said Jeremy Brandt, Hamilton County Ag Society member. “The kids had a good time and it actually scared the heck out of them. So if you can scare teenagers, that’s pretty good!”
That experience transformed into a conversation with fellow board members, he added. Creating something even bigger and utilizing the fairgrounds would achieve a few goals for the organization.
“So I approached Carl and Shawn and they kicked it around a little bit,” Brandt noted. 
The rest is history.
“The main event will take place at the Commercial Building,” he continued. “That’s where you’ll come inside, buy your tickets and wait in line.”
Guests will start, after buying their tickets, with a hayrack ride. 
“We’ll pick them up at the Commercial Building and take them out and drop them off at the starting point,” Brandt said. “They’ll then work their way through the buildings. We’ll have trails and everything set up with clear markings, so they’ll be able to work their way through there and get picked back up at the end of the barns and brought back to the drop-off point.”
Each building is said to have at least one different haunted theme, playing off a variety of fears, including haunted dolls, clowns, creepy-crawlies and more.
Also part of the fun, Angry Ginger Haunts is hosting a free pumpkin carving contest. Those interested in participating are invited to drop off their best carved or decorated pumpkins on Oct. 28 before 7 p.m., so that the public can vote on their favorite the nights of the event.
“The way it’s been described to me, I believe they’re going to make kind of a walkway where you can come in and then all the way around the building will be tables set up with pumpkins,” he said. “So every visitor that comes is going to be able to go through there and walk and pick out (their favorite). They actually have sponsors that are providing (prizes).” 
The contest is open to all ages and carving abilities. 
Hours of operation for the upcoming attraction are listed as “dark” (approximately 7 p.m.) to 11 p.m. each night. Tickets for the haunted experience are $12 a piece ($20 for a VIP trip to the front of the line), $10 with a donation to the Hamilton County Food Pantry, or just $5 for the 4-H “spooky house.”
The family-friendly “spooky house” hosted with the help of the Hamilton County Extension office, will offer a chance for Halloween fun geared towards the county’s smaller residents.
“We’re just always trying to provide more things for the community without it being the same thing over and over,” Brandt concluded. “You’re never going to know what’s around the corner. We hope people just come out and they have a good time and they’re glad that we were able to put something like this together working with Angry Ginger.”
As a note, there is no minimum age limit for the haunted fairgrounds experience, though Brandt agreed visitors should use personal discretion when deciding if they can handle the haunts.
“Our goal is eventually maybe to fill all the barns and maybe even leak over into some buildings,” he said of hopes for next year.
All proceeds from this year’s event will be split among the Hamilton County Food Pantry and the purchase of new wash racks for the fairgrounds.
The haunted fairgrounds experience is also still actively searching for volunteers to help build, scare, or anything else they’d like to give their time to, Brandt advised.