Get spooked at the Haunted Lake Lisgar Water Park
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Looking for some Halloween fun this weekend?
The Haunted Lake Lisgar Water Park might be right up your family’s dark and spooky alley. Back by popular demand, the Lake Lisgar Water Park’s concrete building has been converted into a ‘house of horrors’ for two days, Saturday, Oct. 26, 5-8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 27, 5-8 p.m.
Admission to the haunted house is $2 per person and funds raised will support the F.A.R.E. program, which helps less fortunate children attend recreation programs provided by the Town of Tillsonburg.
Chip Barkhouse, Scott Foster and Lisa Boughner are this year’s ‘haunted house maestros’, each a master of Halloween in their own right.
“We did it about three years ago, Scott and I did one half of the water park building, and Julie (Dawley), with her volunteers, they did a ‘kid friendlier’ side,” said Barkhouse. “This time, we’ve got the whole building – we’ve incorporated all of it. It’s going to be quite extensive, actually, it’s going to be pretty good.”
Each of the rooms has a different theme.
“We’ve got a spider area, we’ve got a ‘meat’ area, a zombie area… and there’s probably going to be about 12 actors. It’s quite good.”
But Barkhouse is quick to note, it’s not for the youngest children. It’s not recommended for children under the age of five.
“We are not gearing it for under five.”
In past years Barkhouse has decorated the exterior of his own South Ridge home for Halloween, and attracted 300-plus kids in one season. Foster, Barkhouse’s neighbour, also had a major Halloween attraction at his home. But it’s a lot of work, said Barkhouse, and it gets harder every year as they get older. And as Foster noted, if you don’t get crowds of kids, you begin to wonder whether it’s worth it.
The Haunted Lake Lisgar Water Park revived their enthusiasm for the holiday in a big way.
“This has really stoked our love of the holiday,” Barkhouse smiled. “Putting all these things together has been really good, I’ve really enjoyed myself with it. Scott and I have a ton of stuff and we’ve brought everything here. Scott, he’s the master of all this.”
“We have fog machines, we have the music, we have the LED lighting, we have the props, we have the actors… it’s full out.”
Barkhouse, giving a quick guided tour, notes that participants will be moving through the building 5-6 at a time. Coffins will clatter, doors will rattle, and heads, well, heads will be raised. They’ve got clowns, werewolves, and body parts… all ready for the two 5-8 p.m. weekend tours.
“Some kids might not make it through,” Barkhouse laughed. “But everyone should have fun. And if they want to go through it again, go again!
“We’re not done yet,” he noted Monday morning. “We’re still fine tuning it.
“What’s really important is the money is going to go to a good cause, for the FARE program. This is a love of ours and we’re hoping we can do more of it every year.”
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