Community Corner

Lion's Club's Haunted Woods Bigger, Badder

The 2011 version of the volunteer spook effort has new twists and turns.

How best to get the body of a 1980s model Grand Prix into the woods without getting the flatbed stuck in mud isn’t a likely topic of discussion to come up while building a haunt for Halloween.

But the Orland Park Lions Club Haunted Woods isn’t exactly a common haunt. Last year, just when it appeared the walk through the Haunted Woods was over, the front end of a .

“This year, it’s a whole car,” said Lions Club member Phil Bell. “There’s a lot you can do with a car.”

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Standing amid the 90-percent complete Haunted Woods for this year feels a bit like a movie set, minus the lead actors. Volunteers cut back and forth between a trailer and PVC pipe tents with wood boards, paint and tools. Ideas to up the scare factor pop up as they work.

But the yearly haunt – a tradition for Orland Park Lions Club members, boy scout troops, students and other volunteers – is run with service in mind, especially during times of hardship. Proceeds from ticket sales go toward maintaining the Lions Club’s service programs, and discounts are given with canned food donations.

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“If we get 4,000 people to go through the Haunted Woods, and each one brings in a can of food, that’s 4,000 cans in for the holidays,” Bell said.

Additions to this year’s haunt include giving a few sections of the path their own story lines. A camp maintenance man not to be trusted follows the legend of the Old Orland Mine collapse. The car will be part of a “lovers lane gone wrong” area.

The biggest addition is literally a doubling of the ending house’s size, built entirely by the volunteers. The new section of the house will focus on playing with people’s emotions, trying to confuse them in a maze-like structure, Bell said.

“While we start the building in June, it’s a year round effort to come up with ideas, collect items and visit trade shows,” Bell said.

For a handful of volunteers, the Haunted Woods became such an involved and detailed effort, the production crew Prepared To Scare was born. And the enthusiasm has sparked the involvement of different business and schools in the area. Spree donated used clothing to be worn by actors participating in the haunt. offers students service hours, and the cheerleaders also are expected to make a visit, Bell said. Boy Scout Troop 378 and Cub Scout Troop 383, along with members also participate.

But the Haunted Woods isn’t all frights. On Saturday, Oct. 29, the woods will be focused especially for kids in what the volunteers call the ‘Trick Or Treat Trail,” with a special discount for kids and parents.

“The idea is for half of the haunt to be intense and the other half to be appropriate for families,” Bell said. “But ultimately our goal is to give people something affordable and entertaining. Lately, it’s what we all need.”

What: The Orland Park Lions Club Haunted Woods presents the Forest of Fears,

Where: 14800 Ravinia Drive, south of village hall.

When: Oct. 14-15, 21-22, and 27-29 between 7 p.m. and 11p.m. Last tickets are sold at 10 p.m.

Price: Tickets cost $10 and $2 off with a can of food. On Oct. 29, kids enter for $3 and accompanying parents are admitted for free.


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