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Making it up as they go along

Actors dress up to scare at Haunted Tower event

Photos by Sabrina Pankratz Danny McDonnell applies makeup on another actor in preparation for the Haunted Tower at the Minnesota Response and Industrial Training Center Saturday evening.

MARSHALL — Southwest Minnesota State University students Elizabeth Ripple and Emily Errico were hoping for a scary time when they checked out the Haunted Tower Saturday evening.

They left the Minnesota Response and Industrial Training Center happy they decided to check out the new Halloween event.

“The fifth floor was scary, I liked how well the makeup was done and the costumes and it was very well put together. They definitely spent time on the decorating, on the costumes so it made it feel more real,” Ripple said.

“I would definitely go again next year,” Errico said.

“I thought it was going to be bigger, but I guess the small space added to the frightening aspect of it. I didn’t expect to make it to the top,” Ripple said.

Visit Marshall hosted the first Haunted Tower with more than 350 attending on Friday and 650 on Saturday.

“Visit Marshall came up with the idea toward the end of August. It started as a small thought and turned into a huge event. A lot of planning and partnering happened in the time between the idea and the event,” said Julia Stuckey, a marketing and events coordinator at Visit Marshall.

Stuckey said they partnered with SMSU clubs, SMSU’s Drama Club, Students Today Alumni Tomorrow, and Ag Club.

“Lauren Deutz (Director of Visit Marshall) and her mom, Marcia Beukelman, did a lot of the decorating,” Stuckey said.

“This event was something completely new to me, so I had no idea how it was going to work. Seeing it all come together and seeing the people come through the tower and what their reactions were was my favorite part,” Stuckey said.

Actors like Allie Lamote, a doll in the nursery, said this wasn’t her first haunted house.

“So I did a haunted house last year for our friend and it was a lot of fun. So when I saw this, I was like you know what, let’s do it again. It was a fun experience,” Lamote said.

“I hope I get to scare a lot of people because that would be ideal,” said Lamote.

Amanda Linville, from Marshall came with her boyfriend, Ethan Claude, eager to get scared.

“I liked how that as you went up the levels it definitely got scarier, and I liked how the actors once they saw you got too scared for comfort they did back off a little bit,” Linville said.

“It was creative that’s for sure,” Claude said.

“The fifth floor was giving me a lot,” Linville said.

Other actors like Whittney McCamish, a witch on the first floor, enjoyed the kids.

“I like the makeup and doing the skit for children,” McCamish said.

“In high school, I did a haunted house on the stage for the drama club. I like getting to do weird things with your friends, getting in costumes and makeup and talking to kids, and giving them candy,” McCamish said.

“I like doing the haunted house with my friends, when you’re doing it with your friends you feed off each other’s energies,” said Elizabeth Zoya, another actor, who was a doll in the nursery.

“Everyone who helped went above and beyond, and made this a huge success. We are so happy with how it turned out and so excited to donate some of the profits to the clubs that partnered with us,” Stuckey said.

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