Now in its fifth year, The Harvest Haunted Barn and Trail has become an annual stop for those looking for a Halloween scare.
The 79-year-old barn is owned by Moscow locals Drex and Joanne Rhoades. The Rhoades’ and their family began converting the barn to a haunted house in 2007 as a fundraiser for their children’s soccer team. Since then the event has grown and the Rhoades have donated thousands of dollars to local charities.
“We thought it would be a fun fundraiser for the soccer team. Since then, it’s just continued to grow. We’ve given a little to a lot of organizations,” Drex Rhoades said.
Most notable of the organizations the Rhoades have donated to is the American Cancer Foundation through the University of Idaho/Latah County Relay for Life.
“The haunted barn is a fun way to raise money,” said Debbie Jacobs, publicity chair for the UI/Latah County Relay for Life. “We’ve been able to utilize the money raised by the barn to make the event a success.”
The UI/Latah County relay donated $76,000 to the American Cancer Foundation last year, a portion of which was raised by the Haunted Barn and Trail.
“They’re a big supporter. We really appreciate everything they do,” Jacobs said.
The Rhoades and their children all share a passion for Halloween, which led them to the idea for the Haunted Barn. In 2010, the Rhoades welcomed nearly 800 visitors.
Despite this success, the Rhoades were unsure if the barn would be up and running this year because of the amount of time and financial cost it takes to get it going each year.
“We just didn’t know if we could do it this year. It’s all in the volunteers — it takes 30 to 40 volunteers just to put on the show every night,” Rhoades said. “We put a query out on Facebook though, and got enough positive responses that we figured we better get in gear and get it going.”
The Rhoades family has been working on this year’s barn since August.
“We change it every year so returners don’t know what to expect,” Rhoades said.
Reversing flow in and out of the barn, changing up rooms, and adding new props and scenes are just a few of the adjustments made to the barn and trail to keep returning visitors in the dark.
“It’s meant to scare people, and that’s what we do,” Rhoades said. “My favorite part is one: when people verify wetting themselves, and two: guys screaming like girls. If those things happen, then we know it’s successful.”
Inspiration can be seen throughout the barn and trail from a number of classic horror films, including “Jeepers Creepers,” Stephen King’s “IT,” and the “Saw” movie series.
“We watch a lot of horror movies, and get a lot of ideas from that. My favorite is “Silent Hill” and Joanne of course takes inspiration from the movie ‘Halloween,'” Rhoades said.
Rhoades said if he meets his goal of 1,000 visitors this year, then he plans not only to keep it open next year, but plans to expand as well. The expansion would include the conversion of a large machine shed into a second haunted house with a trail connecting the two. In addition, Rhoades is also converting a portion of his shop into a makeup and costume studio for the volunteer actors, as well as adding a second staircase to the barn.
Rhoades said the hardest part of the expansion will be the structural changes to the buildings.
“You have to plan for a 250-pound football player screaming and running into something,” Rhoades said. “It’s happened. We’ve had people take out full walls.”
The barn first opened this year last weekend and saw about 230 visitors, which according to the Rhoades’, “was a slow weekend”.
“We expect this weekend to be a good one though,” Joanne Rhoades said. “We’re hoping for 200 to 300 each night. If that happens, we’ll meet our goal.”
The barn has picked up a number of sponsors, which has made running it a little easier. Hahn Porta Potty, Safari Pearl, Sister’s Brew, Les Schwab, Sprenger Construction, Frontier Communications and Untamed Art have all contributed to the success of the barn and trail.
The barn will be open from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday night, as well as 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday, Halloween night. Admission is $8.
Z-Fun 106.1 will be broadcasting live from the barn Friday night, and local favorite NY Johnny will also be at the barn Friday and Saturday night with one of his hotdog carts.
The Rhoades said the barn and trail is intended to scare high school and college students, but families are certainly welcome.
“We leave it up to the parents, but we recommend children be 12 or older,” Joanne Rhoades said. “Our youngest has been haunting here since she was eight or nine. It’s up to the parent whether they think their kids can handle it.”
To get to the barn, follow the south extension of Mountain View road in Moscow. The barn is located at 2800 S. Mountain View.
Although the Rhoades said the goal of 1,000 visitors is an all or nothing deal for the future of the barn, their love for the event is apparent.
“When people come out and swear that it was awesome, it goes to your ego a little, and you think ‘Ah, I’m gonna do it again’,” Drex Rhoades said.