MOUNT UNION, Pa. (WJAC) - As communities across the region decide whether or not to go trick-or-treating this year, one nonprofit is keeping its own Halloween tradition alive.
"My mind's on haunt seven days a week, 365 [days a year]. I mean, if I'm not shopping, I'm building and designing," says Bob Fogelsonger, the Horrorween Haunted Warehouse manager.
"As a haunter, you live haunt 365 days a year. It's not just Halloween," he explains, recalling his first experience with a haunted house at the age of nine. "The local carnival came into town and I was deadly afraid to go into their house at that age."
Fogelsonger's reluctance to enter a haunted house at the time was soon overshadowed by curiosity, daring him to step in. The rest is history. In fact, a love of history is what led him to the Bricktown Museum, where the haunted attraction is housed.
He's the president of the Bricktown Model Railroaders Association, which purchased the building in 2017. The nonprofit's volunteers immediately began reconstruction on its bare bones. Bricktown Museum Curator George Sarra says, "We're closing in on 9,000 hours of volunteer time. When we first walked into this building, there were only a couple lights working. It was very dark in here, there were no windows."
While the work on the museum is not completed yet, they spend three days a week transforming it into a showcase of the town's background. "Mount Union was a thriving industrial area. The railroads served a number of industries here in town. The railroad was critical to the development of Mount Union," Sarra adds.
Wander down to the basement and you'll find the Horrorween Haunted Warehouse in its winding tunnels, serving as the museum's biggest fundraiser for three years. 100% of the proceeds goes toward renovations. "We do not charge admission for the museum, so the donations are critical to pay the bills," Sarra says.
"Last year, we gained $11,000, which helps our operating costs upstairs," Fogelsonger continues. "It was a fun way of me doing something I knew how to do to help others."
With nearly 1,300 guests in 2019, the haunted house is making some adjustments to its attraction to keep it safe during the pandemic, but also to keep it running. Fogelsonger works on it year-round and only stopped preparations this year during the pandemic shutdown.
As some haunts close up shop, he's communication with ones open across the state to adhere to the best safety practices. His team is comprised of electricians, circuit board builders, painters and volunteers; they're all used to changing the haunt annually, but new changes are in store this fall, as the monsters aren't the only ones wearing masks.
"Following the CDC guidelines, we've taken down a lot of things that people touch, masks when possible, we keep the scares back so everyone's at a distance," Fogelsonger explains.
Sarra says the more money raised, the sooner the museum's doors can officially open. This fundraiser aims to combine haunt with history in a safe way, "It's a real passion for us, really trying to develop this museum and be an asset to the community."
The Horrorween Haunted Warehouse is open Fridays and Saturdays in October from 7-11 p.m. Admission is $10 and it goes directly to fundraising for the Bricktown Museum.
While the museum's doors aren't officially open, the public is welcome to visit when the nonprofit's volunteers are working on Tuesdays and Thursdays (6-8:30 p.m.) and Saturdays (9 a.m. - 3 p.m.).
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