Haunted circus lands at Railroaders Memorial Museum

The Railroaders Memorial Museum's staff is inviting anyone brave enough to experience their annual haunted circus to step up and enjoy some fun and entertaining paranormal activity this Saturday night at the museum.

"Haunted Circus: Return of the GhostTracers" is a guided lantern tour through the museum in complete darkness, said director Morey Lawruk, who also wrote the event's script. There will be stories, actors, jump scares, comedy and "a little bit of everything" in between, he said, adding the event is a tribute to the "Supernatural" television show.

You don't have to be a fan of the show to enjoy the haunted circus, but if you are a fan, you'll notice different nods to the show throughout the tour, Lawruk said.

Ruby, the legendary "Supernatural" Impala tribute car, will also be on site for photo opportunities all evening, according to Melissa Preston, the museum's event coordinator.

Five different tours will be held, with each starting at the top of the hour between 6 and 10 p.m. Saturday, Preston said, adding the tour generally takes about 45 minutes to complete. Although they won't turn away younger attendees, they encourage people to be at least 12 years or older for admission, she said.

For those who have been to the museum's previous two haunted attractions, this year's event is meant to be the conclusion of the Lafferty trilogy Lawruk started alongside fellow actor Hunter Hatch two years ago, Lawruk said.

Videos will play prior to the tour to catch people up to speed, so those who didn't attend the previous events are also able to appreciate the overarching story and enjoy themselves, Lawruk said.

At the end of last year's tour, Lawruk's character, Adam Lafferty, was taken by ghost clowns of the Walter L. Main Circus and placed into purgatory, he said.

This year, Todd Lafferty -- Hatch's character -- will be joined in the GhostTracers paranormal team by Scarlett Adams, who is being portrayed by Devyn Amigh, a producer and co-host of WTAJ-TV's Studio 814 show, Lawruk said.

"Those two will be leading the tour this year with all of the guests," Lawruk said, adding there will be a lot of surprises and even a possible breakout from purgatory by his character.

There will be a lot of interaction between the guests and the "ghosts," Lawruk said, noting some of the ghosts will help guide guests through the tour, while other ghosts don't want them to make it through and will try to stop the guests.

"Basically, the crowd and the ghost tracers have to work together to get out of the event and survive," Lawruk said. "If they all work together, then they will all get out in the end and everybody will live, and if you live, you get to join the ghost tracers as a part of the team."

If you dare join them, tickets are available for $15 on the museum's website, www.railroadcity.org/events. Tickets will also be available at the door. However, some of the earlier tour times are close to being sold out, so people hoping to secure a last-

minute ticket to some of the earlier tours -- 7 and 8 p.m. -- may be bumped to a later time slot, depending on availability, Preston said.

The museum's staff has encouraged people to purchase their tickets online.

Each group is capped at 35 people, according to Preston.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.

If you go

What: "Haunted Circus: Return of the GhostTracers" -- described as a "classy haunted house" with no gore but a lot of jump scares, comedy and storytelling.

When: Saturday, Oct. 24. There are five separate tours, with each beginning at 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 p.m. The tours take roughly 45 minutes to complete.

Where: Railroaders Memorial Museum, 1200 Ninth Ave., Altoona

Cost: Tickets are $15 per person and are available online at www.railroadcity.org/events or at the door on the day of the event. Organizers have encouraged people to purchase tickets online to check availability and get their preferred time slot.

Additional information: This is a guided lantern tour through the museum in complete darkness. The museum's windows will be blocked off, so the only light you'll have are the lanterns.

There will be spooky music and sounds playing throughout the tour. The event is accessible for those with disabilities. Must be 12 years or older to attend.