Frater Sodalis present Haunted Forest after cancelling the previous year

The men of Frater Sodalis will present their annual Haunted Forest fundraising event Oct. 28 to Oct. 31.

This is the renewal of their Haunted Island event which ran nonstop since its inception until the event was rained out last year.

Haunted Forest is an event open to the Abilene community with sponsored ads on Facebook, Instagram and a local radio station.

Members of Frater Sodalis are working to set up the stations in the haunted forest and will be apart of the attraction, scaring the patrons who attend.

Aaron Monroe, senior financial management major from Carrollton and treasurer of the club, will be at the entrance collecting payments from attendees and having them fill out waivers.

“Haunted Forest will be 10 dollars at the gate. There will be a college night where students can get half off when they present their ID’s,” Monroe said. “That’s when we’ll see most of the ACU students come out.”

The event serves as a fundraising event with 60 percent of the funds going towards the club. “That’s a big part of what keeps our dues so cheap. We, at least, have the cheapest dues among the big three mens clubs,” he said.

However, this event does more than just make dues for members cheap, it also raises more than enough money to help possible members who may be struggling.

“If money were a barrier for some students, Haunted Forest lightens the load for those pledges and members,” Grant Brady, senior double-major in youth and family ministry and digital entertainment technology from the Woodlands, said.

He said Haunted Forest allows members within club to interact with each other outside of pledging, allowing the bond to grow through the days of preparation.

The event allows for others outside of club to get involved and help out as well.

Monroe and Brady said that overall experience from attendees is usually positive, which is why many people continue to show up.

“This event allows people from wherever to experience it,” Brady said. “Alumni from club, as well as alumni from other clubs and residents of Abilene continue to express their joy of the event.”

However, since the cancellation of the event, Frater Sodalis was forced to find a different location for the event.

“Since we are in a different location, we had to get creative,” Brady said. “This enables us to add more scare attractions than previous years.”

Haunted Forest will take place at 6968 County Road 324 in Hawley and will cost 10 dollars per person.