History of Midnight Forest

For those who are interested in the history and development of the trail, this is the order that I believe the events transpired. There may be some minor errors, but this is a fairly accurate history of the evolution of the walk over the years. Reading it should enlighten you on many of our values and policies.

1996

The concept behind Midnight forest started very informally in 1996. It was a Halloween activity at a birthday party at the end of September for who is now Midnight Forest's maintenance manager.  There were all of seven people that were able to go through it the first time. They went through one at a time, or in groups of two. The walk consisted of the bat house which was one bat in a dark corn crib. From the bat house, the trail led to the Ghost house, which was located in our old barn which has long since been torn down.  The original in '96 remains the only year to ever use that barn. This is mainly because it rotted to an unsafe condition by the time the walk got its good start.

The cemetery was next, which consisted of two tombstones. These tombstones had a skeleton head and hands in front of them, and are still a part of the walk to this day. Then, in the south section of the woods was the original Luminary Lane, which consisted of three pumpkin bags with candles in them in a couple of places inside the woods. Then, upon exiting the woods on the other side, you re-entered immediately and went through the Ghost Walk, which was three ghosts strategically positioned along the trail which was located around where Creepy Caverns and Nessie's Lair are now. Then, you walked through the area that is now the corn maze to return to the house.  As you can tell, the trail has come a long way since its conception.

Though the encouragement was great, nothing happened for the next several years.  A trail was planned in 1998, but the plans fell through. Finally, in 2000, during the same birthday party, a bonfire was planned. It was time to think about another trail.

2000

Totally new trails were planned, and it began to be known as "The Halloween Walk." The trails encompassed a large area of the East woods and have remained there ever since. Spider Alley was added along with Pumpkin Patch, Bat Way, Tinsel Town, and Skeleton Squirm. It also included the notorious bathroom bat that might relieve itself on unsuspecting people walking beneath. The cemetery remained in its old place in the same format, and was the only attraction from the original walk still in place. Luminary Lane was expanded into a long trail of candles that ran along the fence next to the parking field. The last candle extinguished on October 1, 2000 at 1:10am which marked the end of the first hit season. Then through Circuit City, which was a system of creative Halloween pumpkin lights. Another attraction during this season was the hayride which has remained unchanged since the 2000 season.

2001

The following year was much the same as the first. In 2001, Spider Alley was still the same, though with two giant spiders instead on one. The Pumpkin Patch, Bat Way, and Skeleton Squirm all remained the same. Tinsel Town was removed, because its fall tinsel was torn into several pieces and it was thought to be out of character for Halloween. Ghost Walk was added in the original location, but with new Ghosts which were identical to the originals. All of the original ghosts had been destroyed. This is also when the first noise-making items were added. There was the Happy Halloween doormat which yelled happy Halloween when it was stepped on, a vampire which was sound activated (still part of the trail), Thunderbolt, which was a light activated box that created thunder, and Oo-ee the ghost (still part of the trail) were all added during this walk. This is the only walk for the doormat and Thunderbolt. They were destroyed during the walk. The cemetery was kept in its original location, but with a ghost story added about how to get a very scary pumpkin from the yellow-eyed, snaggle-toothed witch. Luminary Lane and Circuit city remained the same, but the walk ended with the Witch Field where witches had crash-landed.

2002

The 2002 season was like the previous. The ghost story in the cemetery was scrapped. Other than that, the trails moved around slightly, but everything remained in the same location and same general form.

2003

The 2003 season was a turning point for the Halloween walk. This walk was turned around backward starting with Luminary Lane instead of ending with it. The Ghost Walk was run toward the creek and ended with the pirates, another new addition for the year. Then the guests were led to another new addition, the Haunted Barn. This was set up inside the new barn and included a dark entry through spider webs, and the guests sat on hay bales. A scary sequence was played and then black lights were turned on. At this point three ghosts swung at the guests. Bat Way was expanded with more bats. Eyeball Eeek was added in a darker section of the woods marked by a silhouette of a killer, and then several eye balls that blink out at you from the trees. Spider Alley continued in its present form, but the Ghouly Pit was added here using fallen logs as benches. The story of the Princess of Iikittayflac (ick-uh-tee-flack) was told (as they had seen her in a tree earlier) and tied into the story of the Haunted Mound. We then proceeded through the rest of Spider Alley and down a new path through Devil’s Den, the new location for Skeleton Squirm featuring a real coffin, and on to the Haunted Mound, the new location for the Cemetery. The Haunted Mound was truly a landmark, but due to difficulty with its operation, it was never used again. This is the only area of the Halloween Walk that can completely be seen from the road, as it is right next to it and the bridge. You can still hear the magic of the area when you visit it. The walk proceeded back through Skeleton Squirm and Devil’s Den, the only walk to backtrack on itself. It remains to be the longest trail we ever had.  It took a total of 45 minutes to walk it.  We also began to give the trail the more formal title of "Shank Halloween Walk."  Why not "Shank Haunted Trail" you may ask...who knows?

2004

For the 2004 season, the walk was set up in a more traditional manner that once again ran clockwise. Spider Alley, and Pumpkin Patch were put in their normal locations, and Skeleton Squirm was put back in its former location and stretched to the new cemetery, a squishy hill on the perimeter to the woods, which is still in the same location today. This one, like the Haunted Mound was decorated with lights so that the tombstones could be seen. All new tombstones were made for this season, and it was given the name Iikittayflac Cemetery. The Ghost walk was in its usual location bringing guests out at the pirates just like the previous year. The Haunted Barn was turned sideways this year and was changed with the addition of a climbing spider, floating pumpkin, and fog machine. The swinging ghosts were still used as well. The music was from Midnight Syndicate and will periodically be heard at Midnight Forest. An addition for the year was through the south woods behind the old cemetery in the area that hadn't been used since 1996. This included more pumpkin lights, and someone that was unlucky enough to find himself caught in the corn picker and ripped to shreds. Then luminary lane proceeded as usual.

2005

The 2005 season was remarkably similar to the previous. The cemetery was not as well decorated allowing it to be darker and creepier than before, and a fog machine was added. The Haunted Barn was scrapped for this season. The addition of a walk through pyramid complete with mummy was the highlight of the walk. The decorations that were used in this walk were very definitely showing their age. Everyone had a good idea of what to expect, as this was a more traditional walk. It was a good time, but definitely in need of a major upgrade. In fact, some of the props from the past were either destroyed or not complete, so this led to a somewhat less than spectacular event.

2006

No 2006 season existed. Brief plans for a walk including a new upgraded pirate ship were in the works, and new tombstones were built to replace the old ones that had been destroyed. Plans fell through, and busy times caught up with the planning, and the walk was scrapped.

2007

For a re-vamping of the walk, the name was changed from Shank Halloween Walk to the catchier Midnight Forest. A new entrance was constructed and the trail received a sign and queue lane to keep the groups to a certain size. The name of Hay Ride was changed to Sunset Hay Ride. A new sign was also constructed for Sunset Hay Ride, and the wagon received a new floor.

Many of the previous attractions to the trail were destroyed, so many new attractions were added. No giant spiders were used in Spider Alley, but a traditional web was used. Then Ghost Walk was moved to the front behind spider alley in a location that was never used before. There were many more ghosts and 4 flying ghosts were added. The guests then walked just inches from the edge of a cliff over into Simon Creek. There was a Bat Tree that was added for this year, which was the first time since 2003 that the bats had been used, though none of the original bats still exist. Pumpkin Patch was shortened due to damage of many of the previous items, and the cemetery tombstones received names - Peamore Freely, drowned in the Yellow River - Ben Eaten, bear hunter - Jack Chitt, died not knowing anything - Horace Theef, hanged by mistake - and Seymour Hiney, squished by a fat lady.

The entirety of the walk was lighted with tiki torches and luminaries, so this was the starting year for the no flashlights policy. Creepy Caverns, a 90-foot tunnel was added, which remains a staple of Midnight Forest.  Pirates Cove was introduced themed with a pirate ship, new pirates, and a fire-breathing dragon. A witch house was constructed, and the Pyramid was once again used. Luminary Lane was in its normal location, but going up and over the new hill that was created for a septic system.  There were seven groups this year. In between groups 5 and 6, there was a small fire in the southeast leg that ignited from one of the luminaries. The two liter bottles combined with the tall household candles caused the plastic to melt and catch fire. This quickly engulfed approximately the area of a square meter and was extinguished almost immediately by the quick responses of volunteers. This is the last season for those candles. The following seasons will include only the small tea-light candles and tiki torches.

2008

This was a very strange year for Midnight Forest. The crowd size was lighter than normal, and the trail was significantly shorter, but everyone agreed it was a blast. Spider Alley was expanded slightly with new webs. Ghost Walk was in the ordinary spot, but this year, a blood curtain was added. Bat Way was never used, but a Grim Reaper took the place of that area. No Pumpkin Patch existed either, but in its place was Cornstalkers, an area with corn on both sides so that it felt like walking through a cornfield. Iikittayflac Cemetery was the same. There was no Skeleton Squirm, Pirates' Cove, or Pyramid this year. Nessie was out in full force, and a new mechanism for flame-throwing was installed. Creepy Caverns' entrance and exit received paint in the off-season, and the door at the entrance is refurbished and painted, and the south half is completely re-built after toppling over the winter. A new plastic covering for Creepy Caverns replaces cardboard, and it is set off by cob-webs on the inside.

2009

Plans for the 2009 season were scrapped due to lack of preparation. Instead, plans for a new bigger and better 2010 season were made.

2010

This was Midnight Forest's first public season.  Hours were 7-11 on Fridays and Saturdays in October and Halloween.  The last two Saturdays were midnight closes.  Midnight Forest also hosts an event for American Coaster Enthusiasts called ACE Scared Stiff and was held on the fourth Saturday in the month.  The event had three attendees.

The pyramid made a re-appearance and was placed at the very front of the trail.  A new permanent giant spider was purchased and was given the name Percy.  A zip line was added to Pirates Cove, but was rarely staffed due to its issues.  A new area known as Bones was added and highlighted with a werewolf.  Safe zones were added throughout the trail.

Creepy Caverns received an almost complete re-build before the season began and the door was removed.  One of the doors on the south end was re-built.  Nessie's outer shell was completely replaced and painted.  Midnight Forest's first chain saw was added along with a rubber band maze.  This year, the trail ended in a small corn maze instead of the traditional Luminary Lane.