LINNEUS, Maine — Thrills, chills and bumps in the night are on tap at one of Aroostook County’s premier Halloween attractions.
The annual Haunted Hayride in Linneus will take place over the next two weekends on property behind the Linneus Fire Department.
It’s the oldest continuous haunted hayride in The County, and draws anywhere from 2,500 to 3,500 visitors annually from all over Aroostook and beyond. What started as a short, one-wagon jaunt has morphed into a nearly mile-long excursion with more than 20 wagons full of screaming guests. But what’s even more remarkable is the outpouring of volunteers, many of them high school students, who make it happen.
“I have been doing this since I was in seventh grade,” Linneus Recreation Director Josh Murchie said. “This is the largest group of volunteers we have had in recent years. They have all done such a great job with their setup. It takes a whole community to make this happen.”
Murchie has been involved in the hayride since he was a teenager and looks forward to the event every fall.
Students from Hodgdon and Houlton high schools fill out the majority of the actors for the ride and can earn community service hours, which are part of their requirement for graduation.
Oisin Gardiner, Drew Duttweiler and Hayden Crowley of Hodgdon are volunteers involved in this year’s hayride and are looking forward to dishing out frights. It’s Gardiner’s first time as an actor.
“It seemed like a really fun idea, but mainly, I just wanted to come out here, hang out with my friends, and scare some people,” he said.
Duttweiler, in his second season with the hayride, had a lot of fun last year and really is looking forward to scaring people, he said.
Crowley, a veteran of the hayride since 2018, said he comes back each year because it is an opportunity to do something new.
“Plus, it is better to give the scares than to be scared,” he said.
Creepy clowns (left) are once again plentiful at the Linneus Haunted Hayride. A cast member (top right) gets made up as a zombie Saturday for opening night. Part of the undead zombie crew (bottom right) in this year’s haunted hayride are, from left, Alexander Morris, Kordell Smith and Amelia Scott. Credit: Joseph Cyr / Houlton Pioneer Times
Taking roughly 17 minutes to complete, the ride covers a field of almost six acres, and features many different horror scenes. Zombies and clowns are the most popular characters for the youths.
The hayride is the major fundraiser for the Recreation Department. Other funds go to the student classes whose members volunteer each year.
The Haunted Hayride opened Saturday night when 22 wagons pulled 664 people through the woods. The event will continue at 6 p.m. the next two weekends, Oct. 21 and 22 and Oct. 28 and 29.
Three tractors for this year’s event were loaned to the Linneus Recreation Department by Houlton Power Sports.
A minor incident occurred Saturday when two juveniles waiting for rides got into an argument that turned physical, Linneus Recreation Department officials said. Police responded but no charges were filed.
One young person wound up with a scraped knee.
“We cannot say enough how we regret that this unforeseeable event happened on our location,” recreation officials said in a Facebook post. We have been fortunate that something like this has never happened within our crowds previously and we hope it never happens again.”