Monica LaSalle, Nederland.  Halloween is not Halloween without visiting our local haunted house, hosted by Teens, Inc. Each year, students and staff work hard to put on an authentically scary experience for the community in the form of several upstairs rooms designed to instill various degrees of fear and excitement. The more benign gym room with foam pit, bouncy castle and fun Halloween themed games is a great place to start for the faint of heart.

Local teens dress up in frightful costumes to put on a display invoking anyone’s worst nightmare. Popping out of secluded spots along the walkway of the haunted house with screams and boos, the teens hope to scare the bejeezus out of you.

Friday night’s event is designed for teens, while Saturday afternoon is for the more innocent age groups, but the center promises something for everyone.

Front desk crew members Kate Healy, Stefani Davidson, Nick and Althea Abruscato dress up in their finery to welcome kids of all ages in for more than just a haunted house. This is the 2nd year that Kate has participated in the event and says the peer supervisors are the ones who put all the hard work into creating the haunted house.

Also provided for one’s Halloween enjoyment are the delicious food stuffs such as cupcakes, chili and beverages. Mark Bayshore has been volunteering in the kitchen serving up said treats and more for 15 years. He never grows tired of seeing the littlest kiddos in their costumes and loves the community service aspect of the event.

Local magician Brent Warren provides a stimulating show in the afternoon that promises plenty of comic relief. Regardless of your Halloween tastes, the Teens, Inc. Trick or Treat is a must see for anyone interested in experiencing all the holiday has to offer. If you ever thought you were afraid of teenagers before, just wait till you see them at this event! Don’t miss out!

(Originally published in the November 1, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)