Mississippi State University’s Residence Hall Association will put on this year’s Haunted Horse Park Oct. 30 and 31 from 8-11 p.m at the Mississippi Horse Park.
Mydarian Booker, programs and activities director for RHA, said the Horse Park will be sectioned into different scenes for the event.
“We’ll have 11 scenes, including an insane asylum, “The Ring” and different things of that nature,” he said. “We’ll try to incorporate different aspects to make it scary, even on the ride to and from.”
Booker said shuttles have been reserved to transport visitors from the front of the Union to the Horse Park in 15-minute rotations. The first shuttle will leave the Union around 7:45 p.m.
John Williams, RHA president, said the RHA has previously put together Haunted Herbert, which was located on campus in Herbert Hall.
“We kind of did a snake trail last year where you went through and it curved around,” he said, “But this year, we wanted to do something different. The scenes are going to be set up like a maze, and it will be free will. You really don’t know what to expect.”
Williams also said he is very excited for the event to take place in the new location.
“Now that we’re doing it off campus inside the Horse Park, it’ll allow more off-campus and on-campus people to come,” he said. “So we’re really excited about that. We’re doing a lot of things differently.”
Claire Taylor, RHA treasurer, said she hopes this year’s relocation to the Horse Park should bring in more off-campus students as well as Starkville residents.
“I’m really excited about it, and it goes to a good cause, so that should hopefully bring out people,” she said.
Visitors to the Haunted Horse Park will pay $5 each to get in, and the money will go directly to Angel Tree and Compassion International ministries.
Williams said 100 percent of the proceeds will go toward the two organizations.
“We’ll have nine Angel Tree children, and they’ll be divided among the residence halls and (the RHA),” he said. “One hundred percent of the proceeds will go toward buying them Christmas presents.”
According to AngelTree.org, Angel Tree is a ministry designed to give Christmas gifts to children whose parent(s) are incarcerated, and according to Compassion.com, Compassion International is a program that helps bring children out of poverty.
Taylor said the Haunted Horse Park will include some frightening scenes which may not be suitable for children.
“We are making people sign liability forms before they go in,” Taylor said. “We’re also (requiring) that if the child is 10 or younger that they have to have an adult with them. It’s going to be a little scary.”
Booker said volunteers are still welcome to help with Haunted Horse Park.
“If you want to volunteer, you can contact me at [email protected],” he said. “We’ll take volunteers at any point, and they can fill in where needed.”