Recreation Department says No Haunted House this year
The Piedmont Recreation Department (PRD) has announced that it will not hold the annual Haunted House at 358 Hillside Avenue in 2018. This will be just the third time in 30 years that Piedmonters will not be spooked and scared by PRD staff in the Recreation Department building during the last week in October.
Staffing changes in the Schoolmates program have reduced the available time staff has to build and create the Haunted House. Previously, Schoolmates staff spent a significant portion of October, when not caring for students, developing and building the frights that were enjoyed by visitors to the Haunted House.
“Though the haunted house is a Piedmont tradition, our priority is delivering quality care before and after school at Schoolmates,” said Recreation Director Sara Lillevand. “We believe that quality would suffer at Schoolmates sites if we were to shift resources to the Haunted House during this time of transition.”
Over the next six months, Recreation Department staff will examine different approaches to creating, building and staffing the Haunted House and determine whether a feasible model exists to continue this fun but complex three-day event in future years.
