Out of the ashes of Ghost Ridge has risen a new haunted house in Maple Ridge.
Long-time friends Lynda Nelless and Bertha Mortimer have created the Happy Haunting Grounds, a haunted house and cemetery filled with ghosts, witches and skeletons.
Both Nelless and Mortimer were wedding decorators for nine years and also professional florists, and the haunted house is part of the creative process that they enjoy.
Every year Nelless has been welcoming a group of seniors who visit her house to see her Halloween decor.
This year, she decided to go all out in the hopes of raising money and food for the Friends In Need Food Bank.
The friends started building the haunted house the second week of September.
“Getting the tent up and ready took us a good week,” said Nelless.
The ladies have also made 20 different characters from hangars, cardboard tubes and Styrofoam heads.
“Whatever we could find and we just costumed them up,” said Mortimer.
There will be a gate at the front entrance to the haunted grounds with a path leading to the tent. Along the tour, visitors will go along a spider walkway, past a circle of friends, an outhouse, a cemetery and a zombie picnic, to name a few of the scenes spaced throughout Nelless’ backyard.
The Happy Haunting Grounds will be family friendly. There will be no actors in costumes jumping out at visitors.
“We tried to make it not too scary for the children,” said Nelless.
“My grandchildren just love it,” she added.
The Happy Haunting Grounds will be open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 21 and 22 and 28 to 31.
• Daytime appointments for school field trips and seniors groups can be made by contacting Lynda at 604-462-7537.
Happy Haunting Grounds is located at 25747 – 124th Avenue.
Admission is by donation of money or non-perishable food items for the Friends In Need Food Bank. The food bank truck will be parked in front of the house.