While the rest of us are enjoying the long days and warm weather of summer, there’s a class of people in this country who are eagerly preparing for fall. When the weather turns chilly and the shadows of darkness encroach upon the daylight, rest assured, they’ll be there to scare you half to death.
Each year, while they are preparing their haunted houses for the upcoming scare season, haunters, as they are called, get together to see the latest industry technology and share tips with their fellow haunters for a few days. Two of the bigger conventions have just passed: the West Coast Haunters Convention and the Midwest Haunters Convention. If you would like to read more about them, you can do so in the Portland Mercury and the Columbus Post Dispatch.
If you are interested in learning more about the creation of a haunted house, you should definitely check out one of these gatherings. There are still a few left in 2012. And, of course, they will be coming back in 2013 if you can wait that long. Here is a list of the names, dates and locations of the rest of the 2012 Haunted House Conventions:
UPCOMING IN 2012
Rocky Mountain Haunters Gathering
Lindon, Utah
June 15-17, 2012
Indy Haunt Fest
Indianapolis, IN
June 23-24, 2012
Frightfest Northwest
July 18-20, 2012
New England haunter’s Gathering XII
Manchester, NY
August 4, 2012
Kreepfest
Harrisonville, MO
August 10-12, 2012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vykrasivy/4023034884/
2013 HAUNTED HOUSE CONVENTIONS
You may have missed them this year but it is never too early to start planning to attend one. Here are the names, dates and websites for some of the conventions that we missed in 2012 but can expect to be back around in 2013.
Transworld Halloween & Attractions Show
March 7-10, 2013
St. Louis, MO
National Haunters Convention
May 3-5, 2013
Philadelphia, PA
HAuNTcon
April 25 – 28, 2013
Dallas, Texas
Midwest Haunters Convention
Columbus, OH
June 7 – 9, 2013
I’ve been busy building out Funtober and finding information to put on it, so I haven’t attended one yet. But you can expect to see my frightened face at several in 2013. I look forward to seeing you too!
The West Coast Haunters Convention is now set for May 31-June 2, 2013. It will be at the Doubletree Hotel in Portland, Oregon. The 10th Anniversary edition of the Midwest Haunters Convention will be June 7-9, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio.