Kansas family’s haunted house tradition ends after 25 years
By Beth Carlson
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OTTAWA, Kansas (KMBC) — A family in Ottawa, Kansas, is closing the doors on their free haunted house tradition after more than 25 years, with one final night of Halloween frights.
“It’s a huge blessing to just to be able to give back to the community and have fun with it,” Sherri Burton said.
Burton and her family have spent decades building their haunted house from the ground up each year in their yard, complete with over one dozen rooms and several hallways that guests must get through.
“Then we’re building for two months, and then takedowns usually a month after that. So, it’s a long process,” Burton said.
The haunted house, which has more square footage than their actual home, started small but grew into a major community event. They now are open for Friday and Saturday of Halloween weekend, to offset the crowds.
“We started with just a few trick-or-treaters off the front porch, to where we’ve had 1,200 to 1,500 people,” Burton said.
Burton explained that this year will be the last for the haunted house, as her family said their priorities have changed as their family has grown.
“We just don’t have the time and effort to put into it. And we don’t want to disappoint the community. So, we would rather just be done and hopefully let somebody else pick up and take off where we left off,” she said.
As the family prepares for one final night of scares, Burton expects a large turnout.
“They want to come and just be here one last time. So, I expect a big crowd tonight,” she said.
The haunted house has always been free to attend, but donations collected over the years have supported local charities in Ottawa.
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