The Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County successfully wrapped up their second season of Harford’s newest haunted attraction, Valley of the Haunted, located at Camp Hidden Valley, a 180 acre wooded campground in White Hall, MD. The main attraction was a haunted trail that ran Friday and Saturday nights the last three weekends in October, and also included a hay ride, live music, s’mores over a campfire, and plenty to eat & drink. On Sundays, they offered a fun, spook-free Halloween event called Little Haunts that included trick-or-treating on the trail, games, crafts, pumpkin painting, costume contests, moon bounces, a hay maze, and more.
More than 3,150 guests from Harford County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Pennsylvania, and even as far as Washington DC and New Jersey visited the attraction. This was great news for the Harford County Office of Economic Development, which had awarded a tourism grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County to put on the premier attraction. The trail was marketed from Pennsylvania all the way down to Washington DC, and promised to scare and delight haunt seekers who dared to enter the haunted campground.
All proceeds from the event benefited Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County, an organization that serves over 6,000 local kids annually. Event Sponsors included the Harford County Office of Economic Development, Atlantic Tractor, E-Moxie, SURVICE Engineering, Suited Four, The Aegis, Kefauver Lumber Company, Jarrettsville Federal Savings & Loan, APG Federal Credit Union, Ecotone Inc., & SwagDog. Media Sponsors include Coffee News, WXCY, Smash Hits WHGM and Harford’s Heart.
Valley of the Haunted relied heavily on community volunteers to bring the attraction to life, offering volunteer options for both individuals and groups, as well as student service hours for teens who chose to be behind the screams. More than 150 volunteers in addition to 10 staff members from Boys & Girls Clubs ran the event over the course of the month, ensuring that each night had between 50-60 volunteers and that Little Haunts had at least 45 volunteers to run the many activities. Jeff Foulk, Event Chair & Boys & Girls Club Board Member, was grateful to all that had a hand, stating “it was a huge undertaking on the part of the organization, and especially the community, but we all had a blast doing it, and hope we get the chance to come back again next year, bigger and better!”
More than 150 volunteers brought the Valley of the Haunted attraction to life over the three-weekend run. Rebecca and Emily McClaskey (left) embodied the characters of Scary Mary and Child and Jenna Heim (right), an 8th grader at North Harford Middle School, took on the role of Bloody Beth. Other volunteers included individual community members, such as Benny Walker, pictured in the center with guests.
Families came from near and far to spend hours on Sundays enjoying the many Halloween-themed activities with their kids at Little Haunts.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County was established in 1990 by a group of concerned citizens in the Aberdeen area. The organization now serves over 6,000 youth per year and operates Clubs in Aberdeen, Bel Air, Edgewood, and Havre de Grace, as well as summer programs at Camp Hidden Valley and the Aberdeen Swim Club. Our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The Club is open to all youth ages 6 to 18 and provides positive youth development programs in five core areas: Character and Leadership Development; Health & Life Skills; Education & Career Development; the Arts; and Sports, Fitness and Recreation.
