Haunted House at Condon's Liberty Theatre a success

The Condon Arts Council held its first haunted house at the historic Liberty Theatre in Condon for three nights over Halloween weekend.

In total, more than 350 people visited the haunted house over three days.

Thirty-six kids from Arlington, grades 5– 12 made the trip in a bus on Friday, October 28 and enjoyed movies on the theatre's new projector and the haunted house in the back of the property.

Most of the children had never experienced a haunted house before. Some kids acted brave, others said it was a scary but fun experience.

"That was terrifying," said an eight grader from Arlington after finishing the haunted house. "Can I go again?"

The next night, local families from Condon and Fossil made their way to the haunted house. There were also people from Dufur, Heppner, Ione and Hermiston that came to see the haunt and to go to the Buckhorn Saloon for the annual Halloween party and costume contest.

Condon's youth jumped at the chance to be actors in the haunted house and moved around the grounds, searching for the best place to scare people.

Sixteen year old Rabecca Clark was involved from the early planning stages and did makeup and set design for the event. Clark also participated in the Special FX Makeup class that the Condon Arts Council held in late August. Clark's skills were integral in the success of the haunted house.

Condon High School junior Christian Potter was also heavily involved with the haunted house. Potter made a multimedia video display and acted all three nights in the haunted house's labyrinth. He also recruited several kids, taking to the school's intercom for mourning announcements to get more kids to participate as actors. Christian also helped to coach kids in their roles.

On Halloween, local kids came to the theatre and were lined up at the door for its 6 PM opening.

A busload of Spray students arrived, under the direction of teacher Rosie Day, also served as actors in the haunted house.

Condon Arts Council board member and haunted house aficionado Wendell Seitz said that he was proud of the effort and thanked the all-volunteer crew for their commitment.

"It was fun," Seitz said. "I'm already looking forward to next year."

The Condon Arts Council took ownership of the Historic Liberty Theatre in early October, 2022. The Condon Arts Council is striving to make the theatre into a hub for arts activities in the region. To learn more, visit condonarts.org