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Hayrides and scary settings

Family-friendly Haunted Barn to open Saturday at Norway fairgrounds

MARY DIERKENS-CLARK, LEFT, and Missy Dierkens-Spade get a spooky display ready at the annual Haunted Barn at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds in Norway. The Haunted Barn will be open for kid-friendly hours from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and reopen for their nightly scares from 6 to 9 later that night. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

NORWAY — A mother and daughter team has provided scares to the community for the past six years during the Halloween holiday.

Missy Dierkens-Spade and mother Mary Dierkens-Clark has been busy making changes to the annual Haunted Barn, aimed at making this year’s event bigger and better.

The haunted tour features a new, longer layout, as well as new props.

“I don’t want to keep it the same, so everything gets changed up,” said Dierkens-Spade, adding this is the second year in the upstairs of the exhibition building at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds in Norway.

Attendees will make their way through a creepy path that goes through the entire top floor of the building. “The length of the walk-through is over two football fields long,” Dierkens-Spade said.

OAKLYNN TRINOSKEY AND Ashtyn VanGinkel pose with the wicked witch in the outdoor maze at the Haunted Barn. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

“Everyone is always surprised when they go through how big it really is,” Dierkens-Clark added.

They also purchased a new hay wagon complete with built-in seating. Another added effect is the props along the hayride.

Kids can continue to enjoy the outdoor maze and go through some added blow-up figures along the path.

More “photo op” areas have been added as well for participants to enjoy.

A bonfire will again provide a place to warm up each evening, with concessions of treats and drinks available.

HANK AND KNOX Nickels enjoy the skeleton photo prop at the Haunted Barn in Norway. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News photo)

The annual event began in their family barn in Waucedah. “It was such a neat space and thought it would be cool to have a haunted house,” Dierkens-Spade said.

That first year, her mother told her she would be amazed if 50 people attended. As their participation grew, so did there need for a larger space, moving to the Dickinson County Fairgrounds three years ago.

The first year at the fairgrounds, the Haunted Barn was in the long buildings next to the grandstands. In 2021, they shifted to the upstairs of the main exhibition building.

They are very happy about the current location with the steps being the only negative.

“This has worked out very well for us,” Dierkens-Clark said. “We are able to rent the space, which allows us to keep everything right here.”

“Not having to haul each year is a huge benefit,” Dierkens-Spade added.

They continue to keep the tradition of the Haunted Barn going, as they think the area has few budget- and family-friendly events.

“We have received a lot of really positive feedback — that right there is a huge incentive, too,” Dierkens-Clark said.

Their whole family gets involved — including cousins — on opening nights. “We couldn’t do it without them,” Dierkens-Spade said.

“They do everything, from concessions to live props,” Dierkens-Clark said. “Having that live feature adds so much to the event.”

They received many requests in 2021 to add more kid-oriented events, which they have done this year.

The Haunted Barn will be open for kid-friendly hours from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and again from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30.

They will be open for regular nightly frights with live props from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday; Friday, Oct. 28; and Saturday, Oct. 29.

Attendees should plan to spend about an hour at the barn, they said.

Admission is $6 for adults and $5 for students, which includes access to the haunted house, maze, bonfire and hayrides.

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