You can expect a some scary moments at Sugar Sand Park’s Shriek Week. Photo provided
By Shelley Gilken
What were you afraid of as a child?
Was it the dark? The monster under the bed? The one in the closet?
The monsters of our imagination will come hauntingly alive at this year’s Shriek Week at Sugar Sand Park.
‘’The theme of the haunted house is ‘Childhood fears,’ ” said Mary McGuire, marketing coordinator at the Sugar Sand Park Community Center. “It’s scary. You’re going to be walking underneath a bed and through a closet.”
A dark, eerie closet. With the heart-pounding anticipation that something — or someone — is in there.
McGuire said the haunted house is the main attraction at Shriek Week each year.
“We have professional effects, professional sound and lighting,” McGuire said. The house is haunted with more than 70 spooky volunteers, comprised mostly of high schoolers age 14 and over, otherwise known as the “Boo Crew.” They know just when to jump out of a corner in an attempt to achieve “the best scare ever,” as the kids say. This isn’t the 10-year anniversary of the event. It’s the “10th-fear” anniversary.
McGuire said that as crowds keep coming back, “Every year we reinvent the haunted house.”
Shriek Week draws upward of 6,000 people over five nights. McGuire recommends buying tickets in advance (starting at $6 through Oct. 3, then it goes up to $8) because some of the time slots sell out. Planning starts in April and preparations are now underway at the venue.
The scares aren’t just for the kids. Parents also get into the action.
“It’s a family event. It’s an equal mix of laughter and screams from all of them,” McGuire said.
“It’s scary, but you can see the laughing. … You can see Mom in the back laughing with her hands on her head and you know everybody’s enjoying it. It’s a nice balance.” Shriek Week is geared to ages 7 to 12. Depending on your child’s tolerance for fear, you can also go to “Lite Nite” targeted to children as young as 5 who prefer a milder fright.
Shriek Week also includes magic shows, black-light games, Star Wars characters, a trackless train ride and a trick-or-treat trail where local businesses hand out candy and connect with families. Visitors can also watch the Kids Scary Film Festival, filled with videos submitted by kids and teens.
A new feature this year is the frightening haunted walk-through of Granny Grim’s garage.
The scary story: Granny kept the garage locked. But one night she never came back and now the door’s open. Find out what’s behind the locked door.
If You Go
What: Shriek Week 10th- Fear Anniversary Where: Sugar Sand Park Community Center 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton When: Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25 from 6 to 11 p.m. Oct. 23 Thursday Lite Nite is less scary, from 5 to 9 p.m. for children ages 5 to 12. How much: Advance tickets with reserved time slots are available for the haunted house. Tickets for all other entertainment available at the event. Advance tickets are $8 starting Oct. 4. More Info: www.sugar sandpark.org
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