Lakeport >> What started as a simple haunted house in Wayne Yahnke’s front yard has grown into a multiple room maze of Halloween terror to compete with the best of them. Complete with motion censored scares, pressure triggered props, surround sound musical effects and even scare cameras, The Clayton Door Experiment presented by Haunted Lake County, which takes place at the Lake County Fairgrounds this Saturday, is more than just a Halloween scare — it’s an experience.
As guests move through the maze, they’ll come to various doors which they’ll be forced to open in order to move forward. And there’s no telling what’s behind each door. It could be zombies, vampires, clowns — the options are endless. There will even been times when attendees come to two separate doors and they’ll have to make a decision about which to go through.
For the first hour of the night, from 5 to 6 p.m., the event will be more kid-friendly. Maze staff — Yahnke and his family and friends — will unplug the scariest effects, and the 20-odd people positioned throughout the attraction will wave and shake hands, rather than jump out at small children. Even then, the place probably isn’t suitable for the very young. There are certain elements that will always be unsettling.
When 6 p.m. hits, the staff will take everything up a notch. On a scale from one to 10, Yahnke gave the maze a solid 9, a rating that’s supported by the crying guests of years past. “People obviously get scared,” he said. “They come to these things for that thrill and we try to make sure we give it to them.”
Haunted Lake County began five years ago as a collaboration between Yahnke, his brothers, sons and neighbors. Yahnke’s residence near Clear Lake High School in Lakeport is a popular trick-or-treating destination, so it made sense to organize a haunted house. Although they didn’t do any advertising, they were inundated with visitors. They also received numerous donations, but instead of keeping the money to offset the costs of running a haunted house, Yahnke decided to donate it to breast cancer research.
It’s a tradition they’ve kept up since. All proceeds from this year’s Haunted Lake County will go to the Mendo-Lake Credit Union Clayton Fire Fund. They’ve always operated as a non-profit, but recently they became official by incorporating a 501(c)(3) and opening a bank account.
Haunted Lake County grew quickly over five years. The last two events took place on three properties in Yahnke’s neighborhood, but this year they outgrew even that and moved their production to the fairgrounds. At this point, it’s almost unbelievable that it remains a family-operated affair.
But even if the event itself has expanded, staff is unchanged. Each year Yahnke and his brothers call on their friends to help set up. After school and sports practice his kids and their friends get to work.
It requires so much prep and attention that Yahnke took a week off work to pull together the Clayton Door Experiment, and he’s still spending 12 hours a day on the maze. On Friday he and his friends and family will hold a dry run, then on Saturday they’ll spend all day decking themselves out in creepy makeup and costumes.
It’s a big commitment, but the outcome is well worth the effort. There are often not many activities for kids around here, which is why Yahnke started Haunted Lake County in the first place — to give younger ones a centralized place to go. “There’s not enough for people to do in Lake County,” he said. “There’s a great need for social events like this.”
The effects and scares may be on par with other establishments, but Haunted Lake County keeps their operating costs low by reusing props every year, buying from thrift stores and accepting donations from local companies like Kelseyville Lumber. Admission also isn’t as expensive as haunts in places like Santa Rosa and San Francisco. “Ours is a little smaller than those but I thinks the quality is right there with them,” Yahnke said.
So what makes for the great haunted attraction? It’s the details. “The fine tuning of all the special effects, lighting, music, props, that’s really the key to a good scare maze,” Yahnke explained. “That’s what we try to focus on.”
Haunted Lake County only continues to grow, and there’s talk of including a kids’ carnival next year. “The potential for it to be bigger is there,” Yahnke commented.
The Clayton Door Experiment takes place Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Lake County fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., Lakeport. Visit www.facebook.com/hauntedlakecounty for updates.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
