To connect with the community, the Byron Herbert Reece Farm held the very first Boo Barn Oct. 24-25, inviting big and small ghouls and goblins to enjoy two evenings of spooky fun on the namesake farmer-poet’s historic homestead.
For a ticket admission of $10, guests could experience the haunted trail, eponymous Boo Barn itself and even more fun surprises.
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Some special extras, like face painting and concessions, were an added expense. Still, both were popular; many kiddos, despite already being dressed up, decided to go a step further and get spiderwebs painted above their brows or adorn their foreheads and noses in scarecrow patches. Also, many families gathered around the bonfire to roast s’mores and warm up from the autumn chill.
But before discovering the treats like face painting and food set up near the pumpkin patch, one had to traverse the haunted trail leading from the entrance of the Reece Heritage Center down to the Boo Barn.
An arch of sparkling lights and cobwebs marked the start, and from there, guests could take in the spooky scenery such as a typewriting mummy or witches making opossum stew.
Frightful figures haunted the path, like a very animated Pennywise that danced and posed for photos when not chasing unsuspecting guests. Small children received not-so-ominous red balloons. Notably, when one was let go, the clown elicited laughs with tearful theatrics as the thing floated into the sunset.
Professional scare actor Ed Gough was there with his “ex-wife,” Molly Zombie, or Molly Z for short. Splitting his time between Florida and his cabin in the North Georgia mountains, he decided to spend some extra time in Union County due to the heat farther south.
“She gets a little hangry,” he warned of the snarling, blood-caked puppet with feet wrapped around his waist. To remedy this, he “fed” her a portion of the string of intestine hanging from his neck like a grisly boa. With a history answering to crime scenes as a sheriff’s deputy and practicing taxidermy, he claims he’s used to “blood and guts.”
The Boo Barn still held its usual historical props like an antique tractor, but hanging from the ceiling in one room were plastic body parts courtesy of the “crazed butcher,” and a ghoul clad in black leaped from the shadows to startle people. Ghostface, bearing the familiar voice of Dustin “The Rog” Rogers, charged out of the shed for one final fright with a chainsaw.
Having escaped from the haunts in the barn, families gathered on the lawn for some Halloween-themed tunes. Nicole Daugirdas danced with her daughter, Josie, to The Nightmare Before Christmas hit “This is Halloween.” The pair matched, dressed as a mother and baby bat.
“I grew up in a gated community cul-de-sac. Holidays were really big with our community,” Daugirdas admitted, happy that she had found a similar experience for her little one to enjoy. “The actors were really good about not scaring the younger kids.”
Before heading out on Dorsey Dockery’s hayride that circled the scenic Reece property, Elizabeth Wiggins was at the pumpkin patch with her 1-year-old granddaughter, Anya. They traveled from White County to check out what Union County had to offer for Halloween, and though it was a new experience for Anya, she seemed to be enjoying her time toddling around the field.
Lisa Hill brought her grandchildren to the Boo Barn, too, echoing Daugirdas’ sentiment that the event was just scary enough for younger kids without being overly terrifying. Her granddaughter, Brooklyn, respected that it was relaxing for an older age group.
“We try and take the kids to events like this to get them out. It’s getting fall and cold, so they’re out playing in it,” Hill said, adding that going out and enjoying the holiday was about making memories with family.
“We had such success with our kid events this summer that I wanted to do something for the kids for Halloween. I’m happy with the turnout,” said Reece Farm Program Director Sandi Godfrey, estimating that about 200 people showed up on the first night.
With this year’s warm reception, Godfrey hopes to add more in years to come. While the hayride is meant to be more of a scenic trip that highlights the seasonal fall beauty of the property, the plan is to decorate around the rental cabins to transform the jaunt into a haunted hayride.
Overall, Godfrey wanted to credit the staff – including Dockery, Rogers, Stephanie Holgate and Jake Stephens – for helping her organize such a fun event.
“I had no expectations, I just wanted everyone to have a good time,” Godfrey said. “The kids are having a ball, and that’s what it’s all about.”
