At Boo-Coda's "Scary-Nights" Haunted House on Saturday, Mayor Alan Carr (right) dressed as his alter ego Alan "the Mayor of Mad Science Carr, sneaks up on an unsuspecting town councilor, Sherry Shepherd, who is disguised as Scary Sherry "the Cosmic Queen."
Bucoda Mayor Alan Carr on Saturday prepares for Boo-coda's "Scary-Nights" Haunted House, held at the Town Gym every weekend in October.
Dressed as "Digger Purcell, the Friendly Undertaker," Bucoda Town Councilor Steve Purcell on Saturday takes some ominous measurements. Purcell and his fellow council members took on spooky alter egos as part of the town's effort to promote Boo-Coda's "Scary-Nights" Haunted House, held at the Town Gym every weekend in October.
Terrified shrieks and screams emanate from the old building at 403 N. Nenant St. in Bucoda.
This nearly 70-year-old structure has long been the center of supernatural suspicions.
“It’s had an ongoing history of sightings and different things,” said local businessman Josh Simon. “People have heard girls’ voices in there and doors shutting. There’s a doll that wasn’t working until it came into the building. Now it’s particularly sensitive to the mayor and his daughter. A couple of firemen heard different sounds and couldn’t figure out what it was. We have cameras in there that have captured orbs.”
This building isn’t the only place in Bucoda shrouded in spooky mystery. In fact, the entire town is thought to be haunted. It was originally named “Seatco,” which, according to Simon, means evil or devil spirits. This was the site of the first territorial prison around which rumored many horrific stories and otherworldly occurrences.
“There’s a rich history of different sightings and other things around town,” Simon said, “People have seen orbs. There have been train derailments and voodoo hexes.”
The nearby coal plant emits dark steam into the sky, adding to the town’s eerie aura.
“The clouds don’t seem to go away,” Simon said. “Sometimes they look like they’re seeping up from the ground.”
Instead of running from their spooky history, the city of Bucoda has embraced it. Each year the whole town gets into the Halloween spirit with decorations and events. It locally hosts the annual “Thrill the World” event in which “zombies” congregate at specific locations around the world to simultaneously dance Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” They’ve even gone so far as to officially rename their town “Boo-Coda” for the month of October every year.
It was a perfect partnership when the town subcontracted with Simon back in 2013. The building at 403 N. Nenant had fallen into disrepair and was in need of renovation, but funds and assistance were in short supply. Fortunately they connected with Simon, a military veteran and current Boeing employee, who fell in love with the building and its history. After 20 years of working in various aspects of the haunted house industry, Simon knew the location would make an ideal haunted house.
“It was built back in the ’40s and used as a schoolhouse,” Simon said. “There is a lot of deep history here and we’ve been trying to tap into it.”
The Scary-Nights Haunted House now extends over 15,000 square feet, both in and outdoors. Behind its 13 windows, thrill seekers encounter a terrifying and spooky setting based on horror movies and the shadowy, unknown element like that in the new Netflix series “Stranger Things.” Scarecrows, zombies, grim reapers and other horrific monsters prowl the building, hungrily seeking their next scare victim.
“Scaring is fun,” Simon said. “It’s like playing sports. You get an adrenaline rush.”
Even the town’s mayor and board members have gotten in on the scaring action with frightening characters of their own like the “Mad Scientist,” the “Doll Girl” and the “Chain Saw Man.”
Chain Saw Man is played by Rob Gordon, the Undertaker is played by Steve Purcell and Red Riding Hood is played by Shelly Smith. The scarecrow and Deathdealer are both played by Simon. Or are they?
Scary-Nights also offers fun extras like Fact or Fiction discount cards and fascinating local Fact or Fiction trivia. The 2016 season will also feature special appearances from the roller derby girls.
“We’re going to paint them up and add more monsters,” Simon said. “They can choose what they want to be. I like them to add their personality to it.”
Simon, himself, has scared in many haunted houses over the past two decades and now has a variety of tried and true characters. His favorite is the Medieval Knight known as Death Dealer. “He’s actually a good guy,” Simon said. “He takes care of the bad monsters.”
For Simon, the key to success is having a good story line, as well as being unique, being original and really listening to customer feedback.
This marks Scary-Nights’ fourth year in Bucoda and its popularity continues to grow. According to Simon, attendance has increased steadily by 25 percent each year since its opening. Besides bringing a thriving business to Bucoda, Scary-Nights also benefits the area by providing ticket-selling fundraising opportunities to area groups and nonprofits. Community is important to Simon, who most enjoys working with the volunteers to create and operate Scary-Nights.
As yelps of terror emanate from the old building at 403 N. Nenant, Simon points out that above all, Scary-Nights is fun.
“We do it to entertain,” Simon said. “We want for people to come out and have fun and be thrilled ... and we try to keep it as mysterious as possible.”
