The sound of screams and laughter disturbed an otherwise peaceful night last weekend on the Interurban Trail. Sitting high on the river bluffs off Northwest Platte Drive, the path was lined with spooks and creatures of all stripes, of which I was one.
Jeanette Faubion
Riverside Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual Carved Experience on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Briarcliff Waterfall. Last year, the city’s inaugural family-friendly Halloween event was held at E.H. Young Riverfront Park and drew about 200 people.
This year, estimated attendance was at about 1,000. The less kid-friendly haunted trail, which cost $10 per person, drew more than 600 brave souls.
Those familiar with my haunted adventures throughout the years know that this is my season. I’ve volunteered at various haunted endeavors across the Northland, such as Ghost Tales of Weston and its haunted walking tour last year. I’ve also done three tours as a Screamster at Worlds of Fun and a season at the haunted-for-real Belvoir Winery in Liberty.
What people may not know is that my love of Halloween arose not far from Riverside. I was born and raised just on the other side of the county line, in a subdivision off Northwest 68th Street.
As a child, I, of course, loved Halloween; but as a sickly, asthmatic child, I wasn’t always allowed to trick or treat. So, instead, we decorated the house for the kids who came knocking on our door. I outgrew my health problems, but my love of Halloween only increased and my holiday displays became more elaborate every year.
I grew up back in the eighties. We shopped at Red X, bought our fireworks there every July, ate at the first Corner Cafe and have family buried in East Slope Cemetery. I was in high school when the first riverboat casinos were approved, and watching Riverside grow over the years since has been amazing.
So, it seemed fitting that here I was, decades later, staring into the aggressively bright parking lot lights of Red X while I crouched along a trail waiting for my victims.
My true calling is setting up scary scenes and decorating, so I’m not as great at actual haunted house acting. Popping out of a dark hiding spot to startle somebody is for amateurs. True thespians of the spooky arts can walk right up to someone in full light and still scare their pants off. I’m not quite there yet, but I have my moments.
Here’s a tip — watch out for distractions.
My best scares of the night Saturday came from working as a team with a guy in a werewolf suit. I was a giant black crow creature, so I was pretty darn distracting and was called everything from Big Bird’s evil twin to a Skeksis (from the 1982 Jim Henson movie The Dark Crystal).
I didn’t even try to hide. Walking straight down the center of the paved trail toward oncoming groups, I stopped just past Mr. Werewolf’s hiding spot and walked backwards in a herky-jerky gait while maintaining creepy eye contact with the group leader. People were busy watching me, giving the werewolf ample opportunity to jump up and scatter the group.
The stand-out moment for our strange bird-dog partnership came with a large group of adults. I pulled my backwards shtick, shuffling along awkwardly, when one women in the front had an announcement.
“You can’t scare me,” she yelled. “I’m great at hiding my emotions!”
With perfect timing, Mr. Wolfie popped up with a growl.
Predictably, she screamed bloody murder.
“Apparently not that great,” I cawed.
Cue the laughter.
Scares like that are fantastic. Everyone has fun, and they’ll be telling that story for years (And so will I).
It’s also additive, and I’ve passed on my love of Halloween to my daughter, who is now eight years old. She and my husband also attended Carved, and although I didn’t get to see the rest of the event, I’m told by them that it was a great time.
She especially loved the bounce house, and she even braved the haunted trail, bemusing another group when she wanted to hug the bird monster.
When things slowed down around 11 p.m., I got to chat with an event security guard from Lawrence, Kan. who had never been to Riverside before. After commiserating about those parking lot lights, I told him he should definitely come back sometime to check out Red X.
He’d noticed how nice the area looked and was surprised he’d never heard of it.
When I interviewed Riverside Chamber director April Roberson for the preview story in last week’s issue, she said one of the goals of the Carved event — and the Chamber’s other public events, such as the upcoming holiday lighting ceremony — was to show out-of-town visitors the new Riverside.
Judging by the crowd at the waterfall Saturday night, it seems it’s a tactic that’s working.