Are you ready to get spooked?<!—->.

Friday, October 12, 2001

Are you ready to get spooked?

With Halloween just around the corner, many residents of Lawrence County and the surrounding area will look to get their annual dose of fright. The Ironton Lion’s Club has just what the doctor ordered.

The club’s annual Haunted Tunnel, located at the intersection of U.S. 52 and State Route 93 across from the Ironton Hills Shopping Center, opens tonight at 7 p.m. In its 11th year, the Haunted Tunnel draws approximately 4,000 to 5,000 thrill-seekers annually, Debbie Rogers, chair of the project said.

"We probably bring in 700 to 800 people each night," she said.

"Tourists" will encounter many scary things as they attempt to negotiate a maze located within the tunnel. They will stumble across a mummy booth, werewolves, a runaway train, a graveyard with a flying Dracula, a crypt, a man in an electric chair, a witch’s booth, a "psycho welder" – new to this year’s event – and a crazed, chain saw-wielding lunatic.

At all times, at least 27 volunteers – not including the guides – will be staked out in the tunnel waiting to frighten the passers by.

"We won’t go into details about what (those located inside the tunnel) are going to do," said veteran volunteer Brandon Kellogg. "We don’t want to spoil it for everyone."

Another new attraction to the Haunted Tunnel will be a 20-foot tall inflatable ghost, which will be perched on top of the tunnel facing U.S. 52.

The Haunted Tunnel will be open each Friday and Saturday through Oct. 27 from 7 p.m. until "the last victim goes through." It will also be open on Tuesday, Oct. 30 and Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 7-10 p.m. Cost is $5 per "victim."