Rocky’s House of Horrors was a terrifying must-do this Halloween

 

What’s Halloween without a little scare? There’s something exhilarating about being scared silly in a safe way all in the name of celebrating the spookiest holiday. Taking in a haunted house is usually at the top of the list for fans of Halloween and thanks to Fillmore Welding, residents had the chance to scream in good fun at Rocky’s House of Horror.

Located in the old Vapor Night Club building connected to the Travelodge Conference Centre & Suites, Roxanne Morlidge and her husband Philip transformed the empty space into a freak fest filled with their own personal collection of decorations. The couple have been collecting all things dark and terrifying for about 15 years. When asked how many pieces she thinks are in their collection, Morlidge figured they had 500 good pieces and thousands of smaller items that complete the sets.

Each year that the couple decides to put the show on they offer up proceeds to a non-profit organization. Previously, they have supported the skateboard park build and most recently the Boys & Girls Club of Whitecourt. Since they have grandchildren using the club it felt like the perfect fit. “I like Halloween so it’s a bonus for me. I get to do what I like to do,which is scare people, and then we get to give back so it’s win-win for everyone. I like to be scared and I also like to scare people so it’s perfect,” laughed Morlidge, as in the background loud screams could be heard from within the set. “It’s the best feeling when you get a good scream out of somebody.”

As with many events in town, it can sometimes be hard to locate the volunteers needed and Morlidge had hoped to have more help this year. She said that lots showed up to work inside as characters when it was open but preparation in advance and takedown is when more people are needed. “It’s why we need a break. We can’t do it without more volunteers. Every organization is going through this, too. It’s great that they come out and scare people, but the work beforehand is tremendous. We would absolutely love to do it every year but without more support it’s really hard to do.” The duo has put on the horror house for nine Halloweens with a couple of years taken off in between. The longest continuous run they did was seven years in a row. “We hope everyone really enjoyed themselves. I love it when people have fun.”

Kyria Baranowski, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Whitecourt and District, said they are beyond thankful for all the work by the Morlidges and the volunteers. “Phil & Roxanne, along with Fillmore Welding, donated all the stuff in this building and the space was donated free of charge by the Travelodge. All proceeds that Phil and Roxanne raise through putting on this haunted house come back to the club.”

Baranowski said the donation is huge. “This money helps enhance all our programming that we offer for the kids, it allows us to buy extra meals, it allows us to do more things on P.D. days and allows us to take the kids out on field trips during our summer programming.” When it was open from seven until nine in the evening, October 24 to 27, the house was filled with volunteers of all ages. “We have kids that are really into this stuff so our youngest in here is 10. We also have pre-teenagers, a few teenagers, and we have people in their 40s and 50s who love this and want to be part of it. We even had one person here that was scared so badly on the first night that she came back to work with us to give back to the community.”

Alicia Smallwood, Teen Centre Manager and Youth Development Co-ordinator, said the work and generosity that went into the event will support much-needed programs at both the Teen Centre and the Boys & Girls Club. “I want to thank the community and those who volunteered for making this event possible.”