Urban Legends and Cryptids Come Alive as North Adams Prepares for Mohawk Theater Haunted House
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| The theater is usually locked. The haunted house is an opertunity to see inside the historic building. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A spooky and scary night at the Mohawk Theater is approaching fast after local officials decorated it for their annual haunted house.
For the third year in a row the police department, fire department, City Hall, Northern Berkshire EMS, nbCC, Drury High School, American Legion, and 18 Degrees spent hundreds of hours the past few weeks setting up at the former theater.
This year's theme is Urban Legends and Cryptids, with an emphasis on local lore and giving participating groups room to create their own scenes.
Business Manager for the Department of Public Safety Meghan DeLuca showed iBerkshires the setup and what they have been working on.
When you first enter you'll notice the Hoosac Tunnel welcoming you with a train lit up and smoking. The posters on the wall were made by Drury High's digital marketing and media class will give you a sneak peak of what you may encounter when you enter the tunnel.
All of the departments chose a different theme for their space; MCLA welcomes you in detention, the American Legion is putting a twist on Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs, Drury is hosting aliens and another cryptid.
"We're all in here trying to curate the whole entire space because obviously, this is an undertaking. This building is not open to the public currently. I grew up in North Adams my whole entire life until we had the opportunity three years ago to come in here, and we were trying to find a space that was going to work for the haunted house. I'd never been in here, so I think that a lot of the allure is that this is a place that you're not expecting to be able to come into," she said.
DeLuca said planning begins around April, with organizers choosing a theme, confirming which groups will participate, collecting set ideas, and determining what materials are needed. Then setup begins around mid-August, as donated materials arrive and the team builds and adjusts the layout.
While the themes have changed she said the confidence in their sets and putting on the event has grown through great communication and support.
"I think it's really like the confidence in the fact that we're going to do something fun, and if we're in here and we're excited about doing something fun, and we're like, okay, you know, we've done all of our work last year, let's change it for this year," she said. "I think that we just do our best to adapt and pivot and be open to constructive criticism amongst each other, and then we all have really good communication in general."
In the past attendance has ranged from 1,100 to 1,300 people.
She said that the departments are showing up for the community in a fun way, and it can help connect people with city officials and first responders.
"I think the more that we're out in the community, the more accessible we are to the community, the more familiar that we are to the community, the easier it is to come to us when something is wrong," she said.
Police Chief Mark Bailey said he enjoys being out in the community. He said it helps people to feel safe and put a face to a a name when they call 911.
"It's just good to have a positive outlook on the police on what we do for the community and the interaction. Because if you like the cops, if you know who the cops are, then you're more likely to call them if you need their services," he said.
One of his favorite things during the event is to see the reactions the community has to their hard work.
"I like greeting the people and then talking to them after they're leaving and seeing how it was. So it's great because it's always positive feedback," he said. "They always say it's a great time, so I enjoy this aspect of it."
The event was supported through the Strong Community Initiative grant, a community engagement grant.
DeLuca said they also try to reuse durable materials and costumes so the event can continue with little or no grant funding. It is also made possible through local donations of certain materials including pallet boxes from Specialty Minerals and Tractor Supply, metal from McCann's metal fabrication class, gates and bike racks from MASS MoCA to help create the walk through, and more props and materials from locals and community partners.
They made sure to schedule the haunted house so that it did not interfere with other events. nbCC's downtown's Trick or Treat is happening right before the doors open and DeLuca encourages guests to also hang around the city and enjoy the local restaurants and other activities that will be set up. This includes games with 18 Degrees and the Drury band performance.
"Please come, hang out, play games, have some apple cider, go down to Ramuntos get some pizza, but just be patient with us, we're doing our best to get you through. We want everybody to be safe and have a good time, and we want everybody to get through. And the only way that we do that is if everybody works together and we have a little bit of grace," she said.
The haunted house will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday night and they strongly encourage no child under 12 walks through. There will also be fog, flashing and strobe lights, and loud or startling effects. Visitors with light sensitivities are advised to consider their limits and have someone with them. Organizers also ask visitors to be patient: the walkthrough takes about five minutes, and the team will move groups through continuously.
The event is free to the public including the concessions that will be handed out which will be apple cider, lemonade, and candy.
Tags: haunted, Mohawk Theater,
