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Haunted Forest kicks off Halloween season in Oak Brook
Leticia Limonez from Hillside stuffs mannequins for the up comming Haunted Forest at the Oak Brook Park District. | Jerry Daliege~for Sun-Times Media
The non-scary facts
Ticket cost: $1 for one; $20 for 25
Haunted maze hayride: 5 tickets
Hayride: 3 tickets
Pumpkins: 1-5 tickets, depending on size
Face painting: 2 tickets
Bounce house: free
Candy in the haystack: free
Fireside story-telling: free
Craft corner: free
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Updated: December 3, 2012 1:34AM
OAK BROOK — Setting up for the Oak Brook Park District’s Haunted Forest has been therapeutic for Karen Spandikow.
The park district’s assistant director of recreation has been spending many of her work hours among plenty of scary props while preparing the park district’s 2012 Haunted Forest. The event is from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Central Park, 1500 Forest Gate Road.
“I’m a scaredy-cat by nature,” Spandikow said with a laugh. “This probably has been good for me to help me get over being scared so easily.”
The park district since 2003 has transformed the pathways of Central Park for the Haunted Forest. The 2012 Haunted Forest again features a 10,800 square foot haunted maze.
Park district officials advise parental discretion for children under age 10, as music, light, fog, strobe lights and creepy characters will be in close proximity in the maze.
Those not wanting to experience the haunted maze won’t be left out; the Haunted Forest also features a pumpkin patch, face painting, fireside storytelling, candy in the haystack, a bounce house, a craft corner, and tractor pulled hayrides.
“We’ve added props in the woods for the hayride, which we didn’t have last year, but there are no actors out there because we don’t want that to be really scary,” Spandikow said.
The Haunted Forest is only the beginning of Halloween-related activities scheduled by the park district. Pumpkin Swim is scheduled for Oct. 19, and a free Spooktacular Halloween Party is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. More information about those events is available by calling the park district office, (630) 990-4233.
“Those other Halloween events are a lot of fun, too,” Spandikow said. “The Haunted Forest is a great way to get everyone in the Halloween spirit.”~.
