Acres of Terror ready for Halloween
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By Austin Andre
With Halloween right around the corner, a spooky long-time Jersey County seasonal attraction is set to open its doors this weekend.
Acres of Terror in Dow is highly praised for the haunted experience it provides and the great actors. On the five acre farm, attendees are sent out on a mile long guided path through the woods where they encounter several different characters and scenes all created by volunteers.
New attractions at Acres of Terror this year include a UV gelly ball area where customers can purchase an extra ticket for an opportunity to shoot at the farm’s clowns. The balls are a relatively painless, low impact, no-stain ball that contain zero chemicals. Groups of five to six will be allowed into the area.
The farm also plans to host birthday parties starting next year as well, having hosting areas where people of all ages can have a place to celebrate and enjoy themselves.
“Our long term goal is to build our farm up where people can come out all year long,” Brandon Root, owner, said. “In the last handful of years, we’ve upped our game. We’ve attended conventions and other expos to help find new things we can add to the farm.”
The attraction has been in operation off and on for over 20 years. Following a family accident in 2019, the Root family had to close down after the season and sold off 90 percent of the land. However, at the urging of Root’s son, Brandon, the farm re-opened last year with much positivity from locals.
“We’ve been trying to grow a lot. We had our best year last year and social media has definitely helped us,” Root said. “We’re very excited for this season. All of our staff are volunteers and they come to do it because they love to scare people and they love halloween.”
Root had nothing but praise for those who attend and work at the events each year.
“I just want to let our fans know how much we care and how much they support us,” Root said. “If we didn’t have ‘R Haunt’ family helping us, we wouldn’t be here.”
The farm is located at 25873 State highway 3 in Dow and will hold its opening weekend on Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct 1. The farm will be open every Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. until Oct. 29. Further information can be found at www.racresofterror.com or by calling 618-779-2891.
