12/03/13 The Niles Haunted House Scream Park, one of Michiana’s most popular autumn attractions, recently completed another successful season at its always changing 44 acre site on Mayflower Road between Niles & Buchanan.
This year, the 40th consecutive year for running the project, raised over $82,000.00 for more than65 area children’s organizations, civic groups and other charities. Proceeds benefitted local school and service organizations including groups such as Boy Scouts, the Make a Wish Foundation, the Lakeshore High School Stage Crew, Positively Dance, the Niles Drama Club and the American Cancer Society (Haunters for Hope team). The funds also will be used for three local college scholarships that we reestablished many years ago.
The year also marked a visit from interior visitor number 1,500,000. Monique Scofield from New Carlisle, Indiana, was the special milestone visitor. She received a gift pack when she visited the Scream Park on October 13, 2013 with her two sons.
The project included six haunted attractions and provided volunteer opportunities both in construction and operation of the Scream Park. Plans are underway for even more frightening additions in the coming year. Almost 20,000 hours were volunteered by almost 500 different people before and during its 21 nights of operation to prepare and operate the seasonal attraction.
The Scream Park is recognized nationally in the haunted attraction industry. This year the Scream Park was ranked as number 10 in this region by Haunted House Chicago. The Park was chosen as #1 Halloween Activity in the South Bend Tribune’s Readers Choice Awards and was selected as one of the31 Must See Attractions by the national publication, Haunted Attraction Magazine. In 2009, it was one of the featured haunts in a movie entitled “Halloween — The Happy Haunting of America Part II.”
