Fear Factory: Mainsail opens annual haunted house

Mainsail's annual haunted house opens Oct. 23 with all of its frightening features and scare tactics. (Contributed photo) [Click to enlarge]

Gore will be the focus of a nine-year tradition for Spirit Lake as the Mainsail Organization prepares to kick off its annual haunted house fundraiser. Participants will be able to meander nearly a half-mile of a cattle barn on the Dickinson County Fairgrounds converted into a no-holds-barred fear factory thanks to the work of the Mainsail organization and more than 100 community volunteers.

Blain Andera, Spirit Lake mayor and director of the Mainsail organization, has been running the event since its inception. An admitted master of suspense and scare tactics, Andera was tight-lipped on the specifics of this year's venue.

"Obviously, we've got a lot more props, and we've gotten a lot more into the animated type of things, instead of just a ghoul jumping out of the corner, (there are) motion sensors and lighting," he said.

Andera did reveal that the route through the haunted house now includes four emergency "chicken exits" for those unable to weave their way to the end.

"Everybody who asks for a refund because they couldn't get through it....we did a good job," Andera said.

Another indicator of success is the attendance by more than 1,000 fright seekers from Northwest Iowa and Southwest Minnesota.

"Last year, we had people from Buena Vista (University), Iowa Lakes Community College, and Northwestern (College)," Andera said. "They packed a couple of carloads and then would come over. We have people come from as far away as Worthington, Fairmont, Algona, down to Sioux Rapids, it really is quite a radius of folks that come."

Tom Noah, a Mainsail board member, has been helping with the haunted house for six years. Noah, who has deemed himself the "chain saw specialist" for the event, is pleased with the amount of support from within the community keeping the event running.

"We have so many people come forward with the set up and tear down and if we didn't have all those people there's just no way we could do it," Noah said. "There's just a phenomenal outpouring of volunteers."

Jeff Smith, an Okoboji resident and former Mainsail board member attributes the haunted house's success to the continued progression of the event.

"Its grown, I think, larger than we ever really dreamed it would," Smith said. "Every year, it seems we break a record on how many are going to attend, and the next year we get even more. It brings the community together and makes a family friendly, safe environment for the kids to hang out at. I think its exceeded our expectations."

This year, the Haunted House will be open from 7-10 p.m. on Oct. 23, 24, 28, 30 and 31. On Oct. 31, a guided flashlight tour will be offered from 2-4 p.m. in conjunction with downtown trick-or-treating at Spirit Lake businesses. Anyone with questions should call Blain Andera at Spirit Lake Mainsail, 712-336-4978.