Hey! You came back! Hungry for more I see…

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Previously I showed you how we start early in the summer on projects for our Halloween display. Although this is really helpful, much of the building still has to wait until we can go inside. Multiple features are built onsite sometimes requiring several team members during several days. Case in point:

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We repurpose numerous items from year to year. This years centerpiece re-used gears we’ve had up through several past sets. They get a fresh coat of paint and become the inner workings of an oversized clock. Not only do we build for maximum impact, we consider maximum safety for our guests. Anything we hang is checked for stability and although we design some pieces to look rickety and old, fear not! They will stay in place leaving your fear to be better used for other encounters!

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This year had us pulling loads of dead branches out from around our property (and maybe a few others, but I’m not telling).We pulled off the remaining dead leaves only to bring them back to life by hand applying new faux flowers and leaves.

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Some projects are started offsite and then finished during installation once we’re in the room, like these flying pages.

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Some effects have to be altered in order to make room for our crowds once we open. For instance, we needed Grandmother’s bed but didn’t have the space. So we shortened the bed frame and angled it up for the forced perspective of looking down on a full sized bed.

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Styrofoam from product packaging was salvaged from the trash to build up the “mattress” and wolf body.

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A layer of faux fur and a swath of damask makes for a lush, snuggly (and scary), bed!

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“My….what big teeth you have!”

We have a very tight schedule so while these projects are going on, we still have things being brought in for placement. Like this young one, who’s looking like something the CART drug in (see what I did there?).

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Mirrors and frames are placed, lighting effects are installed and tested, audio enhancements are played loud to listen for possible edits. It’s quite a commotion!

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No surface is left untouched including all the new walls that have gone up. The entry needed the look of stacked rows of books, so here they are being cut out,

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while another team member puts them up.

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And last but certainly not least, is the merchandise placement. It’s quite an undertaking to sort and group the hundreds of items for sale by theme and shelf placement. The best way to do that is to get one of everything, lay them out and visually choose what works well together.

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Once that is decided then the stock moves in, each piece strategically placed creating the displays.

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Time flies when you’re having fun, yet we were able to get it all done on time! We couldn’t have done it without every one of our team members’ valuable efforts! Now that we’re open, I encourage you all to come in and enjoy the final outcome for yourselves. But don’t worry if you are unable to attend, next week I will be giving you a tour right here of the completed rooms highlighting all the really creepy stuff as well as giving you a look at some of this years featured Halloween artists. We have a few newcomers you’re sure to enjoy!

See you next time!

_mg_9231“I’ll be waiting…”