Creepy Hollow rebuilds haunted house after fire, reopens for Halloween
After a fire destroyed Creepy Hollow haunted house and library this past spring, the Reimer family banded together and started over, rebuilding and reopening the doors ahead of Halloween.
“It’s taken hard work, but we’re happy with what we’ve got,” said Glory Reimer, co-owner of Creepy Hollow.
On May 20, the family’s main attraction – its haunted house – was fully destroyed by the blaze, along with everything inside.
“This year has been hard. It's been really, really hard and even now, trying to fight back those tears, it doesn’t stop,” Reimer said.
Reimer says after the fire, it was clear the family was going to rebuild the southern Alberta attraction.
The family, along with a few friends, rebuilt the haunted house in less than a month.
“It's just the matter of whacking up some walls and putting a roof on it, mostly,” Reimer said.
“But then it's the details because you have to paint this, do that. Every day, we're up at like 7 a.m. and we don't quit until dark.”
The family has started from scratch and says donations and help from the surrounding community have been unbelievable.
“It's been really touching to see everyone say, ‘Here's more paint,’ or, ‘How many paint brushes do you need?’” said Victoria Holmes, supervisor for the attractions.
“Just seeing how (many) hundreds of dollars they’re willing to give to us has been amazing.”
Glory Reimer says after the fire, it was clear the family was going to rebuild Creepy Hollow. It took them less than a month.
The family is no stranger to rebuilding a haunted house from the ground up.
After operating in Stirling, Alta., for 15 years, the family moved the attraction to the County of Warner and in 2015 began operating at their new location before the fire destroyed it this past spring.
With Halloween just three weeks away, the family is set to reopen the doors to their new haunted house on Friday.
“It feels good to have something, to be able to have a little bit of normality back,” Reimer said.
The new haunted house will feature Fright Nights every Thursday to Saturday.
It will also feature a stage, maze, campground and community hall.
Holmes says she’s looking forward to getting back to offering up scares to visitors.
“It's not October without spooking someone,” Holmes said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.