Ronan haunted house scares Santa
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RONAN — Screaming, crying, blood, gore, fundraising and one frightened Santa Claus rounded out the horrifically wonderful environment at this year’s haunted house in Ronan.
Event organizers Shelly Cordis and Sharla Talsma have volunteered their time and money toward the cause for a combined 13 years. Both women fundraise all year long to afford costumes, makeup and animatronics for the house.
“There’s not a lot of money for stuff, so it’s cool to come up with ideas that are very simple and actually scare a lot of people,” Cordis said.
The house has few mechanical horrors. The majority of scares come courtesy of the 20 to 30 annual volunteers.
“We don’t have many animatronics, and I think that’s why the kids like to do it,” Talsma said. “It’s all people power, so they get to scare people.”
Exiting the house ahead of several friends, Sheila Gingras said the house was a lot of fun and that she was scared several times.
“At least four times I was spooked,” she said. “But I’m with my friends so I have to put on a brave face.”
The Ronan Telephone Company donates a warehouse to house the event each year and matches any money raised through admission ticket sales. These monies are then pooled and donated to the Boys and Girls Club of Lake County and the Flathead Reservation.
“My kids didn’t like to trick-or-treat, and I liked Halloween,” Talsma said. “It was something to get them involved and do something for Halloween while giving back to the community.”
Nearly 600 Flathead Reservation residents attended the haunted house last year, raising more than $3,000 for the Boys and Girls Club. While a charitable effort, Cordis said her favorite part was scaring people — specifically, big men.
“The best ones are the great big guys,” Cordis said. “They scream the loudest. The girls are easy, but to get some big guy is usually tough.”
Cordis got her wish this year when Santa Claus made a rare appearance in an apparent effort to take some time off before the busy season. Mr. Claus, dressed in his traditional garb, was such an honored guest that Talsma walked into the haunted house ahead of him to tell the 20-plus volunteers, “Santa is coming through. Let’s get him!”
On the other side of the house, Mr. Claus emerged through a tunnel with a volunteer wielding a chainsaw in hot pursuit. While he seemed to enjoy the haunted house, Mr. Claus was overhead saying, “O.K. I’m taking names.”
Several volunteers may be on Santa’s naughty list, having scared Santa on his one day off all year.
The haunted house will be open again on Halloween. The lights-on tour runs from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., while the scary, lights-off tours run from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $3 per person.
