By Mallory Sherwood, Managing Editor
Shrieks of terror will fill the night as students and members from the Abilene community roam the countryside at Buffalo Gap’s Historic Village “Haunted Village” beginning Friday.
Frater Sodalis, a men’s social club, partnered with Buffalo Gap’s Historic Village and a social club from McMurry University this year to produce the Haunted Village, a 30-minute tour across the Historic Village’s four acres.
Dustin Marshall, senior accounting major from Abilene and Frat member, said at least 50 members plan to perform for guests traveling through the Haunted Village.
Marshall said this is the first time the club is not doing everything considering the club has put on its own haunted house in the past. He said members from the Historic Village contacted the club this fall to see if they would help run the Haunted Village this year.
“I think it’s great we’re partnering with the Historic Village this year because it means less work for us,” said Jace Gallagher, senior finance major from North Pole, Alaska and Frat fundraiser. “It will be a much better haunted house than in years past.”
Gallagher said the members didn’t know exactly what they would be doing this year because the Historic Village wrote the script and is providing all the materials needed. He said the men will have a dress rehearsal on Thursday to see how the night will work. Throughout the evening, members from Frater Sodalis and the social club from McMurry will act out various scenarios that could be scary for some, Gallagher said.
“It’s rated PG-13 this year, so unless your family is 13 years and older, I wouldn’t come,” Gallagher said.
The Haunted Village will take place four nights, from Friday through Monday. On Friday and Saturday, the village will be open from 6 p.m. to midnight and on Sunday and Monday it will be open from 6 -10 p.m.
“We close at midnight, but if you are in line by midnight, we’ll stay there until everyone gets through,” Gallagher said.
Five hundred tickets are available for students to purchase in the Campus Center this week, although college students aren’t the only students the clubs want to come, Marshall said.
He said ads have been placed at the high schools in Abilene, and the club is working on a radio advertisement as well. He said that many of the people who attend are from the community.
Marshall said although they advertised to only sell until Tuesday, they will continue selling until they run out of tickets. The Frats want to sell 1,500 to 2,000 tickets this year, Gallagher said. He said this is about how many tickets sold last year, and the Village of Buffalo Gap made about $14,000. The money raised through the Haunted Village will help with service projects the Frats work on in the community and in keeping club costs low, he said.
“It provides something for people to do in Abilene,” Gallagher said. “It will be a unique experience that is not your typical haunted house.”
Marshall also added that it provides students and Abilenians with the opportunity to do something safe and fun during the Halloween weekend.
This year Frat members are excited to be able to participate in a haunted house because it they have not been able to do put on a haunted house for the past two years. The building that Frats usually used for the Haunted House no longer met Abilene fire regulation, which meant the club had to find a new location.
“We are excited to be able to bring back a tradition of our club,” Gallagher said. “It’s been a tradition for a long time and it means a lot to the old members to be able to continue in it and to have our new members help, too.”
