Update:
Due to new COVID-19 restrictions the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake and District has cancelled its Haunted Hospital originally planned for Halloween.
Executive director Deana Conde Garza said Tuesday the club has modified and will continue with its food drive.
“Anyone bringing food to the location will be entered into a draw for a $250 gift basket that will be drawn on Friday night,” she said.
They will still also have a set up outside of the doors and hand out candy at the location on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and have candy bags for all the families that had registered for the haunted hospital.
Original:
Be prepared to be frightened when the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake and District hosts its annual haunted event.
Executive director Deana Conde Garza said due to the COVID-19 pandemic the staff decided to go with a Haunted Hospital theme for Halloween.
“It will all be set up outside in the area we call the cage and in a maze design,” Conde Garza told the Tribune. “We didn’t want to cancel, so many places are cancelling. It’s a really good fundraiser for us. It’s free to attend but we take donations for our youth food bank.”
Guests will arrive in a pod of six people or less and walk down a hallway and the ‘scarers’ will be in their own pods as well.
The Haunted Hospital will have a reception area, surgery, cafeteria, children’s ward, maternity ward, a morgue and finish off with a graveyard where there will be some candy to take home.
“People won’t go inside a room, but they will be terrified as they go through and see what is happening, she said.
Recently Conde Garza visited her uncle’s farm in Alberta and brought back two old wheelchairs from the 1930s and 1950s, an old typewriter and tons of items that had been sitting in a barn for decades that will be used as props.
“Right now we are going through everything we already have and adding to it.”
Read more: Smaller events planned for Halloween in Williams Lake’s downtown
People who donate food during the event will also be entered into a draw to win a gift basket worth $250.
There will be 96 spots available for a family pod of six or less to attend on Thursday, Oct. 29, which will be a ‘not so’ scary night from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 30, which will be the ‘super scary’ night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and 8 to 10 p.m.
Anyone wanting to attend is required to register by going to the website at www.bgcwilliamslake.com to be booked in for a time slot as pods are being booked at seven-minute intervals. On the website, people click on events, then club events to register.
“We know by keeping everyone seven minutes apart we will be able to keep people safe. We’ve done some trial runs and know that when the one group is entering, the other group will be almost out.”
On Monday, Oct. 26, people will be e-mailed their spooky invitation and time they have been given to attend.
The parking lot will be set up like a snake keeping people apart as well and there will be three zombies in the parking lot moving around and monitoring the parking flow.
Excited, she said the idea came to her in about 10 minutes and they’ve already be doing safety plans for everything they do so it was simple to add that component.
“I think we can do it. I don’t see any issues,” she added. “We are booking up, but are not filled up yet.”
Masks will be mandatory and everyone is encouraged to come in a Halloween costume.
Read more: New year brings a new vision for Boys and Girls Club
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