Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/390145
18 OCTOBER 1-7, 2014 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Best HVAC Contractor Thank you for your vote! Serving the Fayetteville Community for more than 60 years. 3261 Natal Street Fayetteville, NC 28306 910-424-3570 2800-18 Raeford Rd. 910-484-6100 4417 Ramsey Street 910-884-3053 Friends for Life Thank You For Voting Us Best LocaL Pharmacy It is our goal to fill your prescriptions in 15 minutes or less! Like many volunteer fire departments during the 1980s and 1990s, the Stoney Point Fire Department depended upon community-supported fundraisers to generate supplemental revenue and bolster tax-based funding they received from their districts. With costs rising on everything needed to keep a fast-growing department operating in accordance with toughening state and federal standards, tax revenues alone were not keeping pace. Fire departments struggled just to keep their equipment operating and stations properly manned. In addition, Stoney Point had recently begun providing emergency medical services to the community. Although representing over 60 percent of the fire department's calls, this critical service remains unfunded to this day. To help fund this important service, the fire department staff came up with a frightening idea: Fear sells. The business of haunted attractions in the United States represents a multi-billion dollar industry, generating seasonal revenues second only to Christmas. After more discussion and research the idea for the Trail of Terror was born. To say the original Trail of Terror was nothing like the current event would be quite the understatement. During the first year there was only a short trail that department members had hacked out with hand tools through the woods behind the station. There were only a few props and sets with several firefighters doing their best attempts at acting. The most advanced prop that was displayed was a ghost named Winston. He was a 3-foot tall, glow-in-the-dark ghost suspended by parachute cord. The first year saw attendance just over 1,100. With the first year behind them, a core group of department members set out to make the Trail better. They attended several conferences and seminars around the country, each intended to teach organizations hosting haunted attractions the skills necessary to make their haunts successful. They learned vital management and marketing skills. They also learned to build sets and scenes, to set up multi- dimensional props and to use sound, lighting, 3-D, and other special effects to make every moment fun and exciting experience. Armed with this new found knowledge, Trail of Terror expansion was off and running. From its humble beginning 12 years ago, the Trail of Terror has grown in scope every year and is now considered a local Halloween tradition. The total number of visitors has increased every season. Last year, attendance topped 11,000 — a tenfold increase at what is now considered one of the best haunts in central North Carolina. While equipment and props may be important, it's the people who are absolutely critical. Over the years, the trail has grown from a small backyard operation with only a handful of people to a multi-faceted event with almost 200 actors and support personnel employed nightly. Primary management of the Trail resides with a core group of dedicated professionals constantly working to make every Trail season better than the last. Administrative planning for Trail season begins in March with physical construction beginning in June. By now you must be wondering "What can I expect when I visit this event?" Well, your adventure begins as soon as you arrive. You'll be treated to a dynamic, interactive and entertaining stage show, hosted by "The Diva" and her Zombie Dance Crew. From there, you'll depart on an exhilarating walk through a haunted mansion, maze and a trail filled with monsters, clowns and other creepy characters in animated and 3-D scenes that will scare and excite you! With the exception of a few favorite scenes that return every year, the Trail offers enough variety that everyone who visits can find a little something outside (or maybe inside) of their comfort zone! With 12 years of haunting experience under their belt, the Boo Crew has the art of assaulting your senses down to a science! So ask yourself, "What is it that scares YOU?" and then come out and find it at the 2014 Stoney Point Fire Department's Trail of Terror. For more information, visit the website at http://stoneypointtrailofterror.com . Stoney Point Trail of Terror Set to Terrify Community a STAFF REPORT