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History of Spookywoods
(1985 - 2008) - 2007 marks our 23rd year in a row! HauntWorld Article 2007 Way back in 1985, when I was 15 years old, me and 5 of my friends used to camp out in the barns behind the farm house that is now the start of Spookywoods in High Point, NC located in the central part of our state. One night Chuck Passmore, one of those 5 boys was dared to enter the old house after midnight. Chuck, being the brave one he is, took the dare and made his way up the creaky staircase. Once he was on the second floor he started to scream and beg for help. Micah Cox ran up the stairs to help Chuck and found out the screaming was coming from a family of bats that had made their home in the attic. This of course scared all of us and Micah Cox screamed that house is haunted. This high school dare started the haunted house that October in 1985. What started out as a staff of about 10 teenage friends just having fun and was just held in the farm house has grown into a corporation with a staff of over 135 people and expanded into a good portion of our 55 acre farm. Spookywoods has grown into a underworld of high tech special effects, incredible makeup FX and amazingly detailed scenes that take 100's of man hours each year to redesign. I have been involved with IAHA the International Association of Haunted Attractions as a founding member since 1999. We are now part of AmericaHaunts.com, a nation wide association of the top 13 most successful haunted attractions. I continue to educate, protect and promote the haunted house industry that is said to be worth between 300 and 500 million dollars annually nation wide. We are in process of bringing the Spookywoods props created by our artists to the haunted house industry under an new company called Spookywoods FX. My wife Donna and I own and operate Spookywoods Haunted Attraction along with: the Maize Adventure Corn Maze , Gem Dig , Kersey Valley Pumpkin Patch , and NCIT. Visit www.maizeadventure.com and www.nc-it.com for more information. We owe much of our success to the wonderful staff and actors that make it all happen when the doors open to the show. Spookywoods would only be cool sets if it were not for all the hard working people behind the scenes. But we tip our hats to those of you who urn for more than just tricking and treating as we put a little fright into your night. See you this fall in the dark! Tony Wohlgemuth |
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