Last year, two Manteno men decided spooky season just wasn’t spooky enough in southeastern Will County. So, they set out to create a Haunted House, and it turns out they cast the right spells to make it happen — because their larger-than-life event will be held at the Will County Fairgrounds, Thursdays through Sundays, through November 2.
Andy Lee, who owns Lee’s Rentals from Manteno, and Dan Steffan, who is very involved in the community and Boy Scouts, came together to brainstorm how they would put the haunted house together.
Initially, they wanted to hold it in their hometown of Manteno, specifically in the Diversatech neighborhood — a location rumored to be haunted.
However, narrow streets, lack of parking, and fears of too positive a reception in a space not large enough to handle crowds, prevented them from using the Diversatech location — or perhaps the spirits exercised influence over the locale.
Ultimately, the fairgrounds became the place, after Lee dropped off rentals there for another event. He posed the idea to the fairground board members, which was met with much excitement, Steffan’s wife, Erin, explained.
From there, the idea transformed from a lone haunted house into a Halloween festival faster than a werewolf at midnight on the eve of a full moon. With a werewolf’s cry, Haunted Hollows Fest was born.
Dan and Erin, and Andy and Maureen Lee, then enlisted the help of Chris and Beth Redmon, working together to figure out what they would do with all of the barns and the space.
The event features a signature haunted barn, complete with scare actors and plenty of creepy scenes and audio-visuals for a super-scary 30-minute walk-through.
The haunted house is so scary it requires a waiver, and as such, the $35 tickets and the waiver must be completed online. Those who haven’t bought tickets in advance will need to pull out their phones and do so online, as no tickets for the haunted house are sold at the door.
Though the haunted barn will be for those brave enough to enter, there are a myriad of activities for the whole family if they aren’t up for the haunted barn. There is also an entertainment barn with live music.
The fair barns are all done up for Haunted Hollows Fest. -Photo submitted.
Entry to the festival is $5, and both cash and cards are accepted. The only other expenses would be for those who want to purchase concessions or items (or services, like a psychic reading) from vendors in the vendor barn, or $5 for those with little ones wanting to ride the five-minute barrel ride.
“We have three kids, and we’re really big into doing stuff as a family. We hated when we couldn’t all do that,” Erin Steffan explained, noting they’ll have a family activity barn with corn pits and an inflatable maze, a tractor basketball game, and barrel rides. They’ll also have pumpkins and souvenirs for sale.
Although the event will be outdoors, the cover of the barns makes it accessible even if it’s raining, which Steffan says is another draw to their event. They’re also big on supporting local businesses, using many local vendors for pumpkins, cornstalks, and hay bales, among other offerings, as well as giving back to the community, such as the local scouts who will be volunteering their time.
Opening weekend featured a special sensory time period, named a Haunt for Every Heart, for those with special needs. During this time period, they opened up the whole haunt but without all of the extra-scary noises, scare actors, jump scares, music, and lights featured on regular nights. Steffan says they plan to offer Haunt for Every Heart again during opening weekend next year.
“Next year will be even better,” Steffan promised.
Those wishing to learn more about the event can visit www.hauntedhollowsfest.com and buy tickets for the haunted house. The festival will be open on Thursdays and Fridays at 4 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. They’ll close at 10 p.m. on school nights, Thursdays and Sundays, but will stay open until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The haunted house begins at 6 p.m. every night and operates until closing. The festival, at 710 S West Street, Peotone, at the Will County Fairgrounds, runs through November 2.
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.