Three haunted houses in the county will be kicking off soon with one starting this weekend.
They all will provide plenty of fun and fright, but they are also intended to raise money for some good causes.
Soul Takers Acres
Soul Takers Acres at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds gets started this weekend and goes every Friday and Saturday in October from 7 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and 7 to 11 p.m on Saturday.
There have been some changes to Soul Takers Acres this year.
There will be no hay ride and visitors are reminded that while it's known as "A Haunting by the Lake", the haunted house is all indoors.
There will also be a bonfire and games set up for younger kids not ready to enter the haunted house.
Like most of the area's haunted places, Soul Takers Acres is recommended for kids 13 and older.
The story behind Soul Taker Acres begins many years ago.
The Native American who lived in this area had a name for him, "Wanetaqua", which meant taker of life. The early settlers who came to the lakes region knew him as the "LoopGaru", the "Taker of Souls".
Whatever the name, the legend remained the same.
Each fall, when the autumn moon comes full, the Soul Taker rises up from the bowels of the Earth to stalk unsuspecting victims and return them to the the netherworld.
The cost is $8 per person. There will also be concessions on hand and t-shirts for sale. The cost of t-shirts small to XL are $10, while XXL and XXXL are $12.
People can take photos with a ghoul as well.
The event is put on by the Kosciusko County Fair Board and the 4-H Horse and Pony Club.
The money earned from Soul Takers Acres will help fund the horse and pony club as well as go toward major capital improvements the fair board is looking to make to the fairgrounds.
For more information on Soul Takers Acres and a full list of sponsors, visit online at www.soultakersacres.com
Dr. Buzzsaw's Haunted Hospital and Asylum 3-D
Things are a little different this year at Dr. Buzzsaw's Haunted Hospital, which is in its fourth year.
The hospital is tighter, more claustrophobic and even darker.
Also this year, people can check out the Asylum 3-D attraction as well.
At Asylum 3-D, the inmates truly are running the asylum. Breaking out of their cells and overrunning the doctors, they have gone nuts drawing on the walls and making their nightmares come to life. Mad doctors, clowns, aliens, spiders, rats, endless tunnels and spinning rooms are all unleashed in Asylum 3-D.
Office hours this year are 7 to 11 p.m. every Friday and Saturday starting Oct. 15. Tickets are $8 per event or $13 for both the haunted hospital and Asylum 3-D.
Both attractions equal more than 25,000 square feet of terror.
Dr. Buzzsaw's Haunted Hospital is still located at the Old TTP building, 1331 E. U.S. 30, about one mile east of Hacienda, next to Callaghan Homes.
This year, Dr. Buzzsaw's Haunted Hospital is actively fighting the Zombie Virus. This new virus grabs hold of its victims, consuming their bodies until they become undead.
Buzzsaw has created a special vaccination that can help people avoid the tragic side effects of this undeadly virus. Be warned though, this virus is highly contagious and only those visiting Dr. Buzzsaw's Haunted Hospital will be immune from its grasp.
On Oct. 16, Asylum 3-D will open up for a kid-friendly showing from 2 to 4 p.m.
Families can come through with elementary-aged children to experience the 3-D effects. The lights will be a little brighter, the inmates will all be gone, and the scariest of effects will be retired for the afternoon.
Kids can try the 3-D glasses and see the cool stuff. Recommended for children 8 to 12, but parental guidance is encouraged. Adults are welcome as well.
All the proceeds from both the haunted hospital and asylum go to the Baker Youth Club.
BYC provides after-school activities for the young people of Kosciusko County. It also offers homework helpers, kindergarten to third-grade reading program, free after-school snack, free dinner, adult mentors, physical activities, Bingo, game room, arts and crafts and more.
Grace College will help at the haunted hospital to earn service hours for school.
More than 6,500 guests have entered the haunted hospital, and last year alone more than $12,000 was raised for Baker Youth Club.
For more information and a full list of sponsors, visit www.doctorbuzzsaw.com or e-mail dr.buzzsaw@ymail.com
Dr. Buzzsaw also can be found on Facebook by searching for Doc Buzzsaw.Times-Union Haunted Basement
For the second year, the Times-Union will offer up its haunted basement to raise money for its Newspapers In Education Program.
The terror begins Oct. 8 and runs every Friday and Saturday night through October from 7 to 11 p.m.
The cost is $5 per person and it is geared toward children 13 and up.
On Oct. 29, during the Downtown Spooktacular, there will be a kid-friendly version from 6 to 8 p.m. That will be $2 for kids 12 and under while parents get in free.
The Haunted Basement is located at the corner of Indiana and Market streets in downtown Warsaw. Zimmer is a sponsor for this year's haunted basement.
So what is the story behind this haunted basement?
Long ago in Warsaw, a quite morbid gentleman decided he wanted to be a coroner and perform autopsies. The problem was, he had no training and needed subjects to practice on. It wasn't long before he was caught and executed for his heinous crimes. The Times-Union reported the story, and now he and his victims live on in the haunted basement.
An abandoned child was found living alone in rundown house in Kosciusko County long ago. No one knows at what age the child was abandoned. Reporters at the time noted the child was completely reclusive and deathly afraid of other human beings, surviving only on rainwater, insects and vermin found in the home. The child was institutionalized and died many years later. But the ghosts of those childhood experiences still inhabit the haunted basement.
Many years ago, there was quite a battle over where to build the first library in Kosciusko County. Grudges were held for decades. Even though all those involved have long passed on, the grudges remain in the library of the haunted basement. Keep your eyes open as you peruse the shelves.
Ghosts are restless souls who are caught between the worlds of the living and the dead. Some are happy and some are sad. But some, like the most heinous criminals that have been reported on over the years, prefer to remain in the haunted basement's asylum. Beware.
Suffering from a peculiar and particularly morbid mental disorder, a man years ago was arrested and jailed for cannibalism. He died in jail, but he and his kitchen are alive and well in the haunted basement.
On Halloween night, long, long ago, a young boy entered a maze. For days he wandered aimlessly before becoming so despondent he took his own life. The boy still wanders the maze in the haunted basement. See if you can find him - and a way out.
