This haunted maze in Greater Sudbury takes place inside a century-old schoolhouse
CBC
Every October, Robby Lavoie organizes one of northeastern Ontario's biggest scream parks, and this year is no exception.
The Fields of Fear, located on Main Street in Blezard Valley, features new attractions. The 613 Electric Tattoo Co. Kooky Cirkus has expanded to include a "freak show" and a funhouse, along with a display of oddities to enhance the experience.
The main attraction, The Hostel, is inside a century-old schoolhouse and offers guests an immersive maze experience.
"It's so nice to see something like this in the valley, it scared me quite a bit," said Lauren Knox, a park visitor. "I peed a little bit."
Fields of Fear also hosts the Wicked Wares Outdoor Night Market. On Oct. 27, local car enthusiasts are invited to showcase their custom cars, trucks and motorcycles. Lavoie encourages attendees to dress up and go trick-or-treating from car to car during the Night Tires Cruise Night Trunk or Treat.
For Lavoie, the scream park has become a significant part of his life as he encourages residents to come together and celebrate the spooky season.
"We started in our backyard, a house on Albany Street. It was known for years… In the end, we had filled up two pickup trucks full of canned foods and that's where it started. I thought, well, we probably have a business here," he explained.
Lavoie began the venture nearly 20 years ago.
"I went to the Rainbow Centre and I pitched having a pop-up store for Halloween… They knew about my yard haunt and what we did in my backyard. And, they asked if we could bring it indoors and do it in the mall," he said.
Since then, the scream park has moved from the Rainbow Centre to Capreol and finally, Blezard Valley.
"We did the terror train for 13 successful seasons. And now, we're on our own grounds and we have about 30,000 square feet to play outside and a hundred-year-old school house to decorate."
Lavoie finds motivation in the thrill of scaring visitors.
Rose Baxter, a Grade 10 student and volunteer, shares his passion.
"I have a love for the macabre and horror stuff… I find that I'm really good at being really quiet and scaring people once they turn a corner," she said.
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