Laurel Highlands Today

The county's many haunted attractions, historical tours and unique Halloween events earned this month's "Faces & Places" title.

Uniontown, PA – As temperatures drop and breathtaking foliage reaches its peak throughout the Laurel Highlands, thousands flock to Fayette County every autumn to enjoy its many spooky season offerings. 

 

Fayette’s many haunted attractions, historical tours and unique Halloween events are the “places” to be this October; earning the distinction as part of the Fayette County Public Relations Initiative’s “Faces and Places” series. 

 

Boasting four world-renowned haunts - Allen’s Haunted Hayrides, Rich’s Fright Farm, Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park and Crawford School of Terror - the county has plenty of scares for everyone. Love a good corn maze and some ghostly fun? Duda’s Farm boasts a giant 4-acre haunted corn maze.  

 

Allen’s Haunted Hayrides Manager Danielle Angelo said her parents, Ron and Lisa Allen, founded their haunt the year she was born. 

 

“We’ve been doing this since 1979, and we’ve never found anyone older than us, so we officially have the nation’s oldest haunted hayride,” Angelo said. “This started because we’re a working dairy farm and milk prices are terrible. The haunt was a way for my family to help offset those costs, but it’s now become a tradition for us. It’s a family affair. It’s generational. It’s kind of in our blood now, and we don’t know October without it.” 

 

Through the years, Allen’s has expanded to include the Tavern of Terror, bonfire rentals, a sensory-friendly night and much more. Angelo said the haunt team “prides themselves on being unique,” and feels all four Fayette County haunted attractions have “found their niche” in the community. 

 

“We do like to scare people, but we’re also not in the business of traumatizing anyone. We’re a bit more family-friendly, and we’ve been steadily evolving over the years,” she said. “We feel like we’re all staples in the haunt community, so we’ve become a tradition here.”

• Allen’s Haunted Hayrides is located at 2430 Pittsburgh Road in Smock. The haunt is open Fridays and Saturdays through Oct.15 and Friday through Sunday from Oct. 20 to 29. There are no online ticket sales. For more information, call 724-677-2589 or visit www.AllensHayrides.com. 
• Rich’s Fright Farm is located at 2043 Springhill Furnace Road in Smithfield. The haunt is open Thursday to Sunday through Oct. 30 and Halloween. For more information, call 724-564-7644 or visit www.FrightFarm.com.  
• Haunted Hills Estate Scream Park is located at 236 Rolling Hills Estate Road in Uniontown. The haunt is open Friday through Sunday through Oct. 30 and Nov. 5 for a Lights Out event. For more information, call 724-984-5915 or visit www.HauntedHillsEstate.com.   
• Crawford School of Terror is located at 125 N. 7th St. in Connellsville. The haunt is open Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 5. For more information, call 724-277-6851 or visit https://www.crawford.school/crawford-school-of-terror. 
• Duda’s Farm Haunted Corn Maze at Duda’s Farm is located at 157 Creek Road in Brownsville.  Open Friday and Saturday nights. Ticket booth opens at 7 p.m. For more information, call 724-246-7601 or visit https://www.facebook.com/DudasFarmInc.

Horror movies are another local tradition, with classics such as “The Silence of the Lambs” filmed right here in Fayette County. Both Brownsville Borough Council and the Brownsville Drive-in are bringing big scares to the “big screen” this fall. 

 

Brownsville Borough recently celebrated several milestones in its ongoing downtown revitalization efforts, including dedication of a giant movie screen in its newly founded Hope Park.

 

“When we were doing our mini-master plan that the Fayette Chamber of Commerce sponsored, one of the things that came out of that was the desire for more public places to gather, such as an outdoor movie venue,” Brownsville Perennial Project Founder Joe Barantovich said. “What we want to do as a community is bring our residents and visitors downtown to enjoy all our new amenities.” 

 

Borough Council Vice President Paul Synuria said the screen’s September dedication was “perfect timing” to introduce the Horror Movies at Hope Park event series. 

 

“With October rolling around right afterward, we thought it would be pretty cool to show some horror movies leading up to our Halloween celebrations. We wanted to give adults something to do on a Saturday night that wouldn’t cost them anything,” Synuria said. “This seasonal series lets us keep the community events going throughout the year, instead of just during the warmer months, and it’s something different than your traditional haunted house.”

• Horror Movies at Hope Park is hosted by Brownsville Borough Council and community volunteers. The free events take place every Saturday from Oct. 8 to 29, with all movies beginning at dusk. The Brownsville Public Library will sell light refreshments on site during the screenings. Please bring chairs or blankets for seating. Parents are asked to use discretion when bringing children to horror movies. Parking is located at 121 Brownsville Avenue in the borough’s downtown area, with Hope Park located directly across the street. For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/BrownsvilleBorough. 
• Brownsville Drive-in presents its first Horror Month this October, with new and classic films showing every Friday through Sunday. Bonfire rentals are available for select showings. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., with movies beginning at 8:15 p.m. For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/Brownsvilledrivein.   

 Want to meet a few local spirits this spooky season? Both the Brownsville Historical Society and Fayette Chamber of Commerce are offering ghost tours of Nemacolin Castle and downtown Uniontown, respectively.

• Nemacolin Castle Ghost Tours take place Fridays and Saturdays throughout October at 136 Front St. in Brownsville. Tours start every half hour from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call 724-785-6882 or visit www.nemacolincastle.net. 
• Spirits of Fayette County Ghost Tours take place Oct. 28 and 29. Tours leave every half hour from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Meet at Storey Square, 11 E. Main St. in Uniontown. For more information, call 724-437-4571 or buy tickets at https://bit.ly/3SXOO68
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If ghosts and ghouls aren’t for you, Fayette County boasts five, family-friendly Halloween parades for 2022.

• Fayette County’s Fab-BOOlous Halloween Parade, hosted by the Fayette Chamber of Commerce, will make its way through downtown Uniontown Oct. 26. Lineup begins at 5 p.m. near the intersection of Main Street and Gallatin Avenue. The parade begins at 6 p.m. Email info@fayettechamber.com for more information.
• New Haven Hose Company’s Annual Halloween Parade returns to the City of Connellsville Oct. 25. For more information, visit www.Facebook.com/people/City-of-Connellsville-Pa/100064458709066/ or call 724-880-6920.
• Point Marion Rotary Club will also host its annual Halloween Parade at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 in Point Marion Borough. Lineup begins at 5:30 p.m. at Herod Funeral Home. The parade has taken place for more than 70 years. For more information, call David Callahan at 724-725-5717.
• Masontown Matters will host its annual Masontown Borough Halloween Parade at 5 p.m. Oct. 30. Lineup begins at 4:30 at First National Bank. For more information, email masontownmatters@yahoo.com or visit the “Masontown Matters” page on Facebook.
• Brownsville Borough will host its annual Brownsville Area Halloween Parade Oct. 29. Lineup begins at 6:30 p.m. at the South Brownsville Fire Company, and the parade starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call 724-785-5761 or visit www.Facebook.com/BrownsvilleBorough.  

No matter how you choose to celebrate all things spooky this season, Fayette County has something for everyone.

For more information about Fayette County, visit www.FayetteCountyPA.org.

Editor's Note: Photos attached (Allen’s Haunted Hayrides; Brownsville Drive-in; Nemacolin Castle; Spirits of Fayette County Ghost Tours)

Original source can be found here.