FVHS’ annual Fright Night event is returning this Saturday at 6300 Johnson Pond Road with a bunch of fun activities, foods and games for any age. The event, hosted by the FVHS Interact Club, features a haunted trail and other fun games people can participate in. This is a good option for families who want to get into the Halloween spirit, as they made it a point to make it as kid friendly as possible.
Interact club adviser Cristine Fruth said, “Fright Night is what we like to refer to as a haunted trail run by the Interact Club. I believe that it’s been about 15 years since it [Fright Night] started, and it’s basically a fundraiser where whatever funds we raise gets donated to a different organization.”
In preparation for the event, club members have been working hard to create the props, decorations and scenes for the trail.
“My favorite part of Fright Night is making props because in the past few weeks we’ve been having build days. It’s been lots of fun because it used to just be painting cardboard,” said the Interact Club co-president Sebastian Spaulding. “I think the thing I had the most fun doing so far this year was making bloody sheets. We got to just flick a bunch of red paint at it. I think the most difficult part though is figuring out how to make props. I feel like that’s just a bit more challenging, like we have a pretty big inventory of stuff but it’s just figuring out what to do with them and how we can improve from last year, so what worked, what didn’t. Piecing them together is always tricky too, but it’s always lots of fun, and it always turns out great.”
Interact Club president Haarissh Babu also had opinions on the event.
“My favorite part of the event is probably getting to help out with the food stand. That’s what I did last year because you’re able to interact with a lot of people and create a sense of community while talking to people. I think the biggest challenge for setup is actually getting all the scenes ready, like having to build each scene and getting all the materials we need, trying to get something that’s memorable to people and getting them actually scared,” said Babu.
The event will once again be held at the American Legion, where their trail offers the perfect setting for their spooky event. In addition to the haunted trail, there will be a “kiddy trail” earlier in the day where younger kids can walk through the trail without being scared by the actors. There will also be things like arts and crafts, cornhole, ghost bowling and movies on a projector. Food options will include pizza, hot dogs, cotton candy and an assortment of drink options.
“We used to have the event on campus, but we have since moved it to the American Legion. They have a dark trail, and now we work collaboratively with the Boy Scout troop. In the past when we had it here [FVHS], it was more of the student body. In the last few years it’s been more family oriented because we have had a two hour kid time-frame from 4 to 6,” said Fruth.
Fright Night is about more than just a fun event, it’s also about giving back and bringing the community together.
“Normally what we do is after the event we will choose a couple charities to donate to, a couple of causes, and then we will do a club vote on who we want to send those funds to. I know that last year, because of Hurricane Helene, we ended up sending a bunch of stuff there. Also last year we started collaborating with the Boy Scouts for Fright Night, so they are also having a say in how we spend the money,” said Spaulding.
Volunteers are always welcome for Fright Night, and people can sign up to be scarers, work food stands, help with activities or help set up.
Don’t miss out on Fright Night Saturday at 6 to 10 p.m. (4-6 p.m. for the younger kids.) Tickets are available at eventbrite.com.
