Enter the graveyard--if you dare!

By Dylan Roche

I’ve always heard that ghouls and goblins can’t set foot on hallowed ground, but that doesn’t seem the be the case in Severna Park—at least not at the Holy Grounds Youth Center at the Severna Park Community Center. This weekend, October 21-23, the historic building becomes Haunted Holy Grounds, marking the fourth anniversary of the local haunted attraction.

For anyone seeking Halloween entertainment, Haunted Holy Grounds is a spectacle of theatrical fun.  The guided tour through the building is filled with plenty of effects, sounds, and performances to liven the imagination.

Outside, a hearse parked on the grass waits ominously. Those bold enough to approach it will see a ghoulish figure hunched over the wheel, as well as another lain in the back, ready to be carried away. Closer to the building, the surrounding yard has been transformed into a marvelous graveyard, littered with bones and skulls, the gravestones all marked with comical epitaphs.

Incredible attention to detail brings the Haunted Holy Grounds to life.

The attraction requires the dedication of nearly a hundred volunteers altogether, as well as the thirty performers on the tour itself, and the finished product of all combined efforts is truly marvelous. Chris Marsala, executive director of the Severna Park Community Center, explains how the event brings together folks from all over the community. “This is a unique opportunity,” she says, “because it’s a haunted house right close to home, and is full of local flavor.” Community members volunteering on the project range in age from ten to seventy.

Along the tour, plenty of scares await—arms reach out from the black fabric “walls” of the corridor, costumed performers lurch forward, lights flash, and props that at first seem inanimate suddenly leap into life. The creativity behind design and performance alike is a treat for any imagination.

Along the tour, guests must brave a coffin-maker’s workshop, where a monstrous coffin-maker lumbers to and fro. Around one corner, a mental patient tied to an electric chair screams in agonizing torment as a mad scientist pulls the switch. When the tour group passes the kitchen, a mad chef awaits, sharpening his cleaver. Joe Marsala gives a riotously funny performance as of the culinary madman. During his interaction with the guests, he jokes about preparing girl scouts to make Girl Scout Cookies, then whips a sheet off two hostage girl scouts on the floor and begins a show of cutting them up. The dark humor of the scene, reminiscent of “Hansel and Gretel,” is the perfect sort of joke for Halloween—both a little bit scary and a wholly comical.

Through one leg of the tour, guests pass through a hall full of demented clowns—and, admittedly, as one who has always had a fear of those grease-painted smiles and outlandish costumes, the crowd of creepy circus folk definitely makes me a little spooked.

A host of creative talent has dedicated their talents to bringing this marvel to life. Concept design, as well as costumes and make-up, was the work of Christina Caguin. Meanwhile, Wally Smith, who served as co-chair of the event, designed the graveyard surrounding the building. Numerous props and set pieces were leant by Sharon Rowe, who designed the “mansion room,” a location along the tour that depicts a decaying parlor, where a disembodied head perches on a table, watching guests.

Chairman Nick Codd, who conceived the idea of Haunted Holy Grounds, sees the annual Halloween event as a way to bring the whole community together. “The attraction provides roles for all ages,” he says. “Each person can bring imagination to create a character. Park of the fun is seeing what they come up with.”

For an extra bit of ghoulish fun, guests could opt to dine in the graveyard. The al fresco buffet was catered by Garry’s Grill, and each of their dishes was given a new monstrous name in the spirit of the event (Those famous Garry’s Grill pumpkin muffins? They’re just as tasty even when called “Vomit muffins”). The cool autumn night and graveyard surrounding made for an ideal Halloween dinner.

I also had the chance to visit the Chelonia Eco-Adventures Kids Halloween Party, going on at the same time. While the frights of Haunted Holy Grounds might have been a little too intense for small children, the Creepy Critters show was available just inside the main facility. Entertainment for the little kids included carnival games, face-painting, and crafts, as well as the chance to interact with pythons, tarantulas, toads, alligators, crocodiles, and even a glow-in-the-dark scorpion.

Owner Mei Len Sanchez-Barr said she hoped to provide fun for some of the youth who might be too timid to go inside the haunted attraction. “The animals seem creepy at first,” she says, “but we get the kids exposed to them at a young age, and they’re not scared—they’re fascinated, and they want to learn more.” Chelonia Eco-Adventures offers many programs in conservation education at the Severna Park Community Center.

This was indeed a Halloween event for the entire family. Guests of all ages were able to come and be a part of the Halloween celebration, whether taking a tour through the Haunted Holy Grounds, or else facing their fears and petting an alligator at the Chelonia party. This local Halloween event is on my calendar every year, and it is always a surprise year after year. Those who missed the adventure will definitely want to check it out next year. Visit the Severna Park Community Center website to keep an eye on their calendar of events.

A great grinning gargoyle guards the Garry's Grill buffet in the graveyard.

Next weekend, I hope to continue my ghost-hunting endeavors at the Haunted Woods behind the Ice Shack in Pasadena.