Fright Nights At The Fairgrounds

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BLUE RIDGE, GA – When I was 10 years old I decided to venture into a haunted house attraction put on by my elementary school. I was traumatized, and had vowed never to step foot in a haunted house again.

I kept this vow for over two decades, but when you are a reporter and your town happens to have an incredible haunted house, unfortunately you have to report on it. You can’t have an accurate report without the experience.

So thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Blue Ridge and their annual haunted festivities, I had to face my fears and confront the terror that is Fright Nights at the Fairgrounds.

Blue Ridge, Fannin County, Georgia, Kiwanis, Fright Nights at the Fairgrounds, Forrest Hamm

A hint at what awaits you at Fright Nights at the Fairgrounds.

I arrived early to get quotes from the organizers and to obtain information on the attraction. I quickly learned that this was a mistake, as the Kiwanis members can smell fear and aren’t afraid to “heighten” your haunted experience.

I was met by many Kiwanians who were happy to share the dark history of the fairgrounds. Every member would begin to tell the haunting tale, but stop short. Each time a member would stop, they would say, “You really need to talk to Forrest. He knows the whole story.”

So finally I worked my way up the chain of haunted command to the man with all the answers, Haunted House Committee Chairman Forrest Hamm.

“Well, strange things do happen in this building. The building is old but the land and it’s history is older. That’s where the inspiration came from for this event,” Hamm began.

Hamm told the story of Old Man Jones who owned most of the land in the area of the fairgrounds in the late 1800s. According to local legend, visitors to the mineral springs would depart from the train and walk along Jones’ property on their trip to the healing waters.

Jones would accommodate passers by until one fateful night when Jones’ only daughter went missing. Most believe that she had fallen for one of the out-of-towners and had run off to elope, but others believed that something more sinister had happened.

While no one can confirm the actual fate of Jones’ daughter, it was well known what happened to Jones himself. Having lost his only daughter and with no one to blame but the visitors to our small town, Jones is said to have gotten revenge.

Over the next several years visitors went missing, seventeen visitors to be exact, and with Jones’ sudden change in personality, he became a prime suspect. No bodies were ever found and none of the missing ever showed back up.

Jones became increasingly deranged until the end, and the locals who wanted to avoid a negative stigma on Blue Ridge never confronted him. They just avoided the property and warned visitors to do the same.

More terror to expect at Fright Nights at the Fairgrounds.

“Now did Jones kill those people? I don’t know, for all I know they just got lost in the woods. But people did go missing and Old Man Jones did go mad,” Hamm concluded.

Then Hamm smiled and said, “Well, you ready to go through the haunted house?”

I wanted to say, “Are you serious? After that story?”, but instead I just hung my frightened head and said, “I guess so.”

Waiting to enter the attraction was unsettling enough. I could hear the screams of those who entered before me. As I made my way into the dark maze of horror, I questioned my commitment to this story and wondered if there was any way to turn back.

I can say that if you have a phobia, Kiwanis Fright Nights at the Fairgrounds will not disappoint. They have covered it all. I didn’t realize just how creepy people could be until I encountered the actors within.

With an unsettling atmosphere and actors who are made for their roles of fright, this attraction will not disappoint. Whether you come terrified at the thought of a haunted house or you are a seasoned Halloween pro, you will leave this event thoroughly frightened and with a big smile on your face.

Days later I found myself still wandering about the tale that I had heard from the Haunted House Committee Chairman Forrest Hamm, and decided to find out its truth. So I went to the only Jones I know in town. That’s right, Chief Magistrate Judge Brian Jones.

I asked the honorable Judge Jones point blank, “Is it true that your family is still haunting the fairgrounds?”

To which he replied with a half smile, “I can neither confirm nor deny that story,” and then turned and walked away.

Fright Nights at the Fairgrounds will be open this weekend for your thrill seeking pleasure. You can visit the attraction this Thursday-Saturday, October 26-28. Gates open at 6:30 P.M. and it is $8.00 to enter. All proceeds go to the Kiwanis Club of Blue Ridge and helps to fund the needs of children in our area.

 

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