Written By Linda Morton
Witches and goblins and ghosts, oh my! For those who think it’s just not Halloween without a good scare, the Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department’s frightfest, Bedlam-in-the-Boro, can satisfy your cravings.
During the last three weekends in October, Bedlam-in-the-Boro serves up its annual smorgasbord of terror. For the stout of heart and the brave beyond brave, this buffet of fright offers a bevy of thrills and chills via a four-mile Haunted Hayride and a blood-curdling tour of the House of Horror.
The Haunted Hayride begins and ends at the Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department. Ten tractor-pulled wagons, one leaving every six minutes, ferry those who dare through “some of the darkest, spookiest and scariest parts of Lineboro,” according to the web site, www.bedlamintheboro.com.
Along the way, guests are promised “the most horrifying and grotesque scenes you have ever seen,” . . . and this year the brave (or the crazy, depending on your perspective) will encounter prowling ghosts and ghouls who “live” to “SCARE YOU TO DEATH!!!” But mothers may relax . . . Fire Department volunteers accompany every ride and have inspected every tractor and wagon to guarantee safe passage through the dark of fright.
The House of Horror offers more than 3,000 square feet of bone-chilling spookiness and is “open rain or moonshine.”
For the faint of heart who would rather take a pass on the terror and wait for their friends, Russ Amusements provides games of chance; part of the proceeds benefit the Fire Department. For families that enjoy autumn hay rides minus the hair-raising elements, the Bedlam Bypass offers a non-scary ride to a pumpkin patch where the only painted faces are those of children.
The Lineboro fire station, built in 1919, is under renovation this year. If the building is finished by October, food will be served inside. The firemen’s fare includes their signature roast beef, turkey, crab cakes, and homemade pies and cakes. If not, carnival food will be available outside: pit beef and ham, pizza, funnel cakes, french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs and cotton candy.
Bedlam-in-the-Boro began in 1994 with a Haunted Hayride and a Tent of Terror. That first year almost 1,000 people attended. Since then the event has grown every year, expanding from three nights to eight. A new 32-by-100-foot pavilion is under construction. Panels will be added so that the sides can be enclosed to make rooms for the haunted house.
In 2000, the fire department’s best year ever, more than 11,000 people attended. Volume slowed in 2001 as a result of the 9/11 tragedy, and the entire event was rained out in 2002. Last year attendance seemed to be following the record setting pace of 2000, but rain on two nights diminished the numbers; even so, 8,000 people attended in 2005.
John Krebs is chairman of the hay ride, and Tom Myers chairs the haunted house committee. Many subcommittees contribute to the extravaganza that Bedlam has become.
“We started with a little bit of nothing – some wild ideas, cheap flyers from the copier, three wagons and tractors, and it grew from there. The first year we threw it together from June to October. Now we start working on it in March,” Krebs said.
The original idea came from the Winterstown, Pennsylvania, fire department’s haunted hay ride. While researching ideas on the Internet, Krebs and his colleagues discovered an annual trade show in Rosemont, Illinois, complete with seminars on how to create scary events. There they also found Transworld Exhibits, a wholesaler that offers every scare tactic imaginable.
“We’ve been sending at least two people to the convention for the last seven years to get ideas and buy supplies,” said Krebs. “If it goes BOO!, they’ve got it. You wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it. They’ve got everything from strobe lights to animatronics like you see at Disney World. We get a lot of ideas there; then we come home and make our own.”
Nearly 100 people assist with Bedlam – from kitchen workers and tractor drivers to ticket sellers and actors. (The ghosts and zombies aren’t really dead.) Community groups such as Carroll County 4-H clubs, McDaniel College sororities and fraternities and the North Carroll High School Drama Club lend their talents and time.
According to Krebs, the Lineboro Fire Department earns about the same amount of revenue from Bedlam-in-the-Boro that other fire departments take in from carnivals. The biggest variable that can make or break the project is the weather. The second greatest challenge is creating new events and skits to surprise repeat audiences. Krebs says this year several never-before-seen skits are in the works.
“I don’t know why people like to be scared,” he said. “I guess the attraction is the same thing that makes horror movies so popular. I do know that you’ve got to scare Ôem or they won’t come back. We think we give good value for the money in that department. As long as people keep coming, we’ll keep doing it.”
