Big scares need a bigger venue: Popular haunted house cancelled as location outgrown

A Corner Brook charity is facing a unique challenge this year: it's unable to host a popular annual haunted house because their big scares had become too much for their old location.

Holidays for Hope normally operates its haunted house in the Graham Academy building in Corner Brook. Executive director Max Pittman told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning they've seen tremendous growth over the years, to the point where a new location is needed.

"Unfortunately, this year we've grown too large. Which is kind of, like, a good thing, but also a bad thing cause it shows that… what we've been doing has been working," Pittman said Tuesday.

"Since we've become so large, we can no longer use the Graham Academy space without interrupting their classes and their extra-curricular activities."

Pittman said part of the reasoning behind the decision to cancel this year's haunted house is that interrupting programming at the Graham Academy would defeat the haunted house's purpose: to earn money to ensure everyone can access extra-curricular activities.

The event is the biggest of the year for Holidays for Hope, Pittman said. The group had been searching for a new location for some time, he added, but said they weren't able to secure a location and have additional time to set up the haunted house — which usually takes weeks, with a large group of volunteers.

"I never expected it to go this large. I started it literally in my living room...It was never something I expected to grow much farther than my living room," Pittman said.

"We've raised thousands of dollars through this event. And to see it not happen this year is a little heartbreaking. But we do know, like, next year it'll be back."

Pittman said the group has received solid support from the community, including from people who have made the event a tradition with their families — and from people offering up spaces to host the haunted house next year.

"How quickly the community gathered in our time of need, I think, really just displayed the effect that we've had and the impact that we've had. And it's changed my life, personally, and I know a lot of our volunteers have, like, felt that same impact as well," he said.

Holidays for Hope hopes to announce the location of its new permanent home soon.

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