Haunted hotel opens tonight

Alice Campbell Havre Daily News [email protected]

The ghouls come out tonight. But don't be too scared as part of the Havre Jaycees' annual Haunted Hotel Oakland, they're saying, "Boo," for a good cause. The proceeds from the more than 24-room haunted house will be used to purchase new winter coats for children on the Salvation Army's Angel Tree, said Chamene Plum, who is helping with the haunted house. "Sometimes it's hard for families to buy coats every year. Kids grow so fast," she said. This way, it's a sure thing that those children have warm coats for what are notoriously bitter winters. One hundred and eighty children benefited last year, said Trina Crawford with the Salvation Army in Havre, and she expects the number to be higher this year. This year's haunted house, complete with a maze, features a few new rooms, including a Texas Hang 'Em room, in the old Hotel Oakland above the Eagles Club. The rooms filled with ghouls, darkness and fog open from 7 to 9 p.m. nightly through Halloween. The house is an accumulation of several years' decorations, since the Rooms can be left intact between each Halloween, Plum said. "We just build upon it each year. It gets better and better each year," she said. "We have real cobwebs up there." Sunday is flashlight night. While there's no fog, the rooms will still be dark, Plum said, and people should make sure to bring flashlights. It's a good night to bring small children, she said. Be prepared for steps, Plum said, since the only way in and out is up or down a set of them. And be prepared for a crowd. Last year, approximately 1,000 people went through the spooky rooms, Plum said. The cost is $4 per person, or $3 with a nonperishable food item.